Keith Wyness hits out at VAR after Aune Heggebo's West Brom ban
The FA's suspension of West Brom striker Aune Heggebo has raised questions once again regarding the use of VAR in the Championship.
That is according to former Aston Villa chief executive and ex-Premier League board member Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Baggies could have no complaints regarding the suspension.
This comes after Heggebo served a two-match ban for scoring with his hand in his team's opening-day win at Norwich, with the FA deeming that he successfully deceived the referee.
Wyness is not surprised that the Baggies' appeal against the ban was unsuccessful, but also believes that the whole incident raises bigger issues over retrospective decisions.
VAR is not in use in the Championship, which prevented the handball from being picked up immediately after it happened.
Heggebo has since served his two-game suspension and is now in line to return to the West Brom matchday squad for their trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Aune Heggebo incident prompts VAR question
Villa's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that retrospective action of this ilk could potentially "undermine" the referees.
Tim Robinson did not pick up the handball during the game at Carrow Road, and Wyness feels that the whole incident advocates for the use of VAR in the second tier.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, the Scottish businessman explained his exact thoughts on the incident.
"The sympathy I have in this situation is going back for retrospective resolutions on things. And it seems to be very selective on which things you can go back for," he said.
"Yes, it looked as though it was handball. The referee couldn't see it, was unsighted, et cetera. VAR didn't pick it up because there is no VAR in the Championship. So that's the issue I think about it.
"If we're going to go back retrospectively, should it be everything that we go back for? Should it be penalties? Should it be free kicks? That's where it gets into that grey area for me.
"I knew that they were going to enforce this because they felt it was deceiving an official. We were sort of going towards letting things happen on the pitch, and we wanted the referee to have more power and more authority, so the more you go back and undermine referees, the bigger issue you create.
"I've been hearing a lot of arguments about the Championship not wanting VAR, and so this is another example of, 'let's decide things on the pitch', but this one is not good."
Championship clubs race to sign Theo Le Bris
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that seeveral Premier League and Championship clubs are battling to sign Lorient star Theo Le Bris ahead of the deadline.
The 23-year-old is out of contract with the Ligue 1 outfit next summer, and his form has brought him onto the radar of several clubs in England.
The youngster is vastly experienced in the French top flight, and is primarily a right wing-back by trade.
Le Bris can also play anywhere across the midfield and defence, and that versatility has made him a clear target for several Championship clubs.