Union Berlin have made football history by appointing Marie-Louise Eta as their interim head coach, making the 34-year-old the first woman to take full charge of a men’s professional side in any of Europe’s five major leagues.
The appointment was confirmed late on Saturday night, just hours after Union suffered a 3-1 defeat at bottom-placed Heidenheim in the German Bundesliga. The result proved the final blow for head coach Steffen Baumgart, who was dismissed alongside assistant coaches Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna, leaving the Berlin club in urgent need of a change with five games remaining in the season.
Eta, who had been coaching Union’s Under-19 men’s side, steps up to take charge of the first team through the end of the current campaign before transitioning to lead the club’s women’s professional team in the summer, as already planned.
The appointment is not her first brush with history. In November 2023, she became the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s big five leagues, covering England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. She also became the first woman to lead a Bundesliga men’s team from the touchline during a 1-0 victory over Darmstadt in January 2024, when she stepped in while then-head coach Nenad Bjelica served a touchline ban.
Now, for the first time, she holds the full head coach title in her own right.
Union Berlin sit in 11th place in the 18-team division with 32 points, seven points above the relegation playoff spot. The club has managed only two wins in 14 matches since the winter break, a run that prompted the board to act decisively.
“Our situation remains precarious and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league,” said Horst Heldt, Union’s director of men’s professional football, in a statement announcing the change. “Two wins from fourteen matches since the winter break and the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can still turn things around with the current set-up. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start.”
Eta’s first match in charge sees Union host fellow survival contenders Wolfsburg at the weekend. Her remaining fixtures also include clashes against RB Leipzig, Koln, Mainz, and Augsburg.
