Bundesliga side FC Augsburg have labelled rumours that new signing Ricardo Pepi was 'peed on' by manager Markus Weinzierl as part of a club initiation ceremony as 'fake' news.
Earlier this month, the German club beat a number of top European clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, to the signing of Pepi from MLS side FC Dallas.
It is believed they paid a club record fee of $18 million plus bonuses for the United States international, who was FC Dallas' top scorer in 2021 with 13 goals in 31 appearances.
This week, Pepi gave an interview with German publication SportBild where he spoke about numerous subjects, including his dream of one day playing in the Champions League with his new club.
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But when the interview was posted, a fake quote emerged online. It read: “I still have to get used to the German culture. When I was finally in the shower after the first training session, I suddenly felt something wet on my thigh.
"Weinzierl just peed on me and said that was part of it. I was now his player.”
This, of course, was false, so FC Augsburg decided to debunk the comments with a post on social media.
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"Actually obvious that this 'quote' is fake!" they wrote. "We can laugh about a lot and often don't take ourselves too seriously.
"But since some of you out there seem to think so, let's make it clear that this is fake."
In the interview with SportBild, Pepi explained why he decided to join the Bundesliga club after interest from a number of top sides in Europe.
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“Augsburg was the best option for me. They showed me the best perspective," he said. "Despite my age, I’m promised to get many minutes here, to stand on the pitch and develop."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Bundesliga, Football