Union Berlin have appointed former Germany youth international Marie-Louise Eta as interim head coach, making her the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The 32-year-old, who previously served as assistant coach under Urs Fischer and Nenad Bjelica, will lead the Bundesliga side for the remainder of the season after the club parted ways with Bjelica on Sunday.
Union Berlin sporting director Horst Heldt described the appointment as a historic step for German and European football.
“We are convinced that Marie-Louise is the right person to lead the team through the final weeks of the season. She knows the squad very well and has our full confidence,” Heldt said.
Eta, who earned 20 caps for Germany at youth level and played for several clubs including Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, expressed pride at the opportunity.
“I am very honoured and grateful for the trust placed in me. My focus is now fully on the team and helping Union Berlin achieve our goals in the remaining matches,” she stated.
Eta replaces Steffen Baumgart, who was fired with his assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna after the team’s 3-1 loss at bottom side Heidenheim on Saturday.
Defeat in Heidenheim left Union in 11th place, seven points clear of St. Pauli in the relegation zone with five games remaining.
“I knew I opened the door a little for women,” says Sabrina Wittmann, the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in Germany’s top three divisions when she was appointed head coach of Ingolstadt in 2024. “I was honestly afraid of closing the door.”
It is an admission that hints at the weight of responsibility this young woman must have felt when the nation’s media descended on the city to cover this curiosity. “There were so many cameras and media,” she recalls. “That was something new in Ingolstadt.”
Internally, the decision to turn to Wittmann as the club’s new interim head coach that spring had felt like the natural choice. She had already coached the U17 team, the U19 team, and was the director of development at the third-tier club at the time.
The move has been widely praised by women’s football advocates as a breakthrough moment, though some critics question whether the appointment is a genuine long-term opportunity or merely a temporary measure.
Union Berlin currently sit in the lower half of the Bundesliga table and face a tough run-in to avoid relegation. Eta will take charge of her first match on Saturday against Borussia Dortmund.
