OMG — Oh My God!
Rumble in the Puppet Box: coaching flops, Hinteregger vs. Baum, Haller's World Cup ball theft and Daniel Baier's obscene gesture.
Unbelievable But True
Things happen in the Puppet Box that no scriptwriter could dream up.
Rumble in the Puppet Box
FCA is considered a haven of harmony — but when it kicks off, it really kicks off.
What happens when turmoil suddenly enters the cozy world between the WWK Arena and the Augsburger Puppenkiste? The answer: it gets at least as entertaining as at the big clubs.
Haller Steals the World Cup Ball
In the 1966 World Cup final, Haller scored the opening goal for Germany — and then took the match ball home.
Thirty years later, an English newspaper tracked the ball down in Haller's living room in Augsburg. The ball was returned and now resides in England's football museum.
'My Enemy, the Baum'
The animosity between Martin Hinteregger and coach Manuel Baum became a running gag.
Hinteregger's public reckoning with his coach inspired the quip 'My Enemy, the Baum' — a pun on the German hit song by Alexandra. Further details belong in the cringe category.
Five Against Willy — Baier's Gesture
Daniel Baier made an unmistakable gesture toward the RB Leipzig bench.
Augsburg vs RB Leipzig — as in many stadiums, an emotionally charged duel. Baier's obscene hand gesture and the subsequent war of words with Hasenhüttl entered Bundesliga folklore.
The Coaching Flops
FCA's worst-ever coach: Helmut Riedl with 0.20 points per match.
In 1995, Riedl managed just 0.20 points per match in the Regionalliga Süd. FCA lost four out of five games under his charge.
OMG — Update 2020–2026
The passport affair surrounding American striker Ricardo Pepi made headlines in the 2021/22 season.
The passport affair surrounding American striker Ricardo Pep...
The passport affair surrounding American striker Ricardo Pepi made headlines in the 2021/22 season.
The passport affair surrounding American striker Ricardo Pepi made headlines in the 2021/22 season. The 19-year-old joined FCA from FC Dallas in January 2022 for around 16 million euros — but the transfer was overshadowed by irregularities involving his entry documents. Managing director Stefan Reuter was involved in the matter. The exact circumstances remain murky to this day, and there was no exclusion and no official sanction. Pepi himself did not deliver on the pitch at first and was loaned to Groningen before later moving to PSV Eindhoven.