Marie-Louise Eta has made history as the first female coach in charge of a men’s team in the Bundesliga when Union Berlin, fighting to stay afloat in the German top flight, named the 34-year-old Eta as a replacement for Steffen Baumgart. Baumgart, along with his assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna, were relieved from their positions in the team after the team lost 3-1 to last-place Heidenheim on Saturday. Eta had already made history three years ago by becoming the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and the top divisions of Europe’s ‘big five’ football leagues, including the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga. Eta, named as an interim coach of the men’s team, essentially has five games to secure Union Berlin’s stay in the top flight in Germany’s Bundesliga. Union Berlin are in 11th place in the 18-team division, just seven points clear of St. Pauli in the relegation zone with five rounds remaining. Eta was coaching the Under-19 men’s team previously and was also handed the reins of the Union Berlin women’s team next season. “I’m delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before she becomes head coach of the women’s first team as planned in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Heldt said in a statement. Explaining why the club decided to part with the coach despite the club being in 11th place in the Bundesliga, Heldt said: “We’ve had a completely disappointing second half of the season so far and we’re not letting the table fool us — our situation remains precarious and we desperately need points to secure our place in the league.Story continues below this ad “Two wins out of 14 games since the winter break and the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can turn things around with the current setup. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start,” Heldt said.
History in Berlin: Marie-Louise Eta takes charge of Union Berlin as Bundesliga’s first female head coach
