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.