Horst Heldt, director of football in Union Berlin, has defended the appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as interim coach for the Bundesliga team, making her the first woman to be head coach in a top-flight team in any of the top five European leagues (Germany, Spain, England, France, and Italy). Sadly, since the news broke in the weekend, she has received sexist comments on social media.
"It's just embarrassing. I've noticed it, but I also refuse to read or even just expose myself to that kind of nonsense because for me this is about quality - leadership quality", Heldt said (via BBC). "We have 100% confidence in Loui - complete conviction. I find it insane that we have to deal with this in this day and age."
Marie-Louise Eta, 34, already took charge of the team in January 2024 for three matches, when she was assistant manager for Nenad Bjelica, who served a three-match suspension. She retired from professional football at the age of 26 in 2018, after winning three Bundesliga titles and one Champions League with Turbine Potsdam.
"We're 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, stands 100% behind this decision and will do everything in their power to ensure that this doesn't lead to any further discussion in the future."
Marie-Louise Eta joins to replace Steffen Baumgart, as Union Berlin sits eleventh in the 18-team Bundesliga, seven points above the relegation line, having won only two games in 2026. Her debut game as head coach will be against Wolfsburg on Saturday, but she will be replaced at the end of the season.
