Horst Heldt, the director of football at Union Berlin, has strongly defended the appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as the team’s interim head coach. This move makes Eta the first woman to hold the top coaching position in any of Europe’s top five leagues (Germany, Spain, England, France, and Italy). Unfortunately, since the news broke, she has faced sexist comments on social media.
“It’s simply embarrassing. I noticed it, but I also refuse to read or even expose myself to that kind of nonsense because for me, it’s about quality – leadership quality,” Heldt stated, as reported by the BBC. “We have 100% confidence in Loui – total conviction. I find it insane that we have to deal with this in our time.”
The 34-year-old Marie-Louise Eta has prior experience managing the team, having stepped in for three matches in January 2024 as assistant manager to Nenad Bjelica, who was serving a three-game suspension. Eta retired from professional football at the age of 26 in 2018, having achieved success with three Bundesliga titles and a Champions League win with Turbine Potsdam.
“We are talking about a highly competent leader here, and you can be sure that everyone here at Union, whether in the stands or within the club itself, fully supports this decision and will do everything in their power to ensure that this does not lead to any further discussions in the future.”
Marie-Louise Eta is set to replace Steffen Baumgart. Union Berlin is currently in eleventh place in the 18-team Bundesliga, seven points above the relegation zone, and has only secured two wins in 2026. Her first match as head coach will be on Saturday against Wolfsburg, but she is expected to be replaced at the end of the season.