Marie-Louise Eta has written her name in football history by becoming the first woman to manage a men’s bench in one of the five major European leagues – Spain, England, France, Italy and Germany. The 34-year-old German coach assumes interim management until the end of this season to fight for permanence in the domestic competition in a move that marks a before and after in the Bundesliga and in professional football. Until now, Eta was in charge of the club’s under-19 team, although she had already been linked to the men’s first team as an assistant. Starting this summer, in addition, it had already been announced that the German coach would lead the club’s women’s team.
The decision comes after the dismissal of coach Steffen Baumgart and his assistants, Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna, after the team’s defeat against bottom team Heindenheim (3-1), and a worrying streak of results: only one victory in the last six games and just two league wins in 14 games so far in 2026.
“I am glad that the club has entrusted me with this demanding responsibility. A strength of Union has been and is that, in situations like this, we unite all forces together. I am convinced that with the team we will achieve the decisive points,” said Eta in statements included in the club’s official statement.
The decision, an unprecedented milestone in German football, comes with the aim of closing the permanence. Union Berlin currently occupies eleventh position in the Bundesliga – with 18 teams -, with 32 points and seven ahead of the relegation places with five rounds remaining in the championship. “So far we have played an absolutely disappointing second round and we do not let ourselves be dazzled by the position in the table: our situation is still threatening and we urgently need points to ensure permanence in the League. Therefore, we have decided to restart now,” explained Horst Heldt, general director of men’s professional football at Union Berlin in the club’s note.
It is not the first time that Eta breaks barriers. Between November 2023 and the end of that season she became the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history, forming part of Nenad Bjelica’s coaching staff. Furthermore, at the end of January 2024 he coached his first official match after the three-match ban imposed on Bjelica for a confrontation with rival player Leroy Sané. On that occasion, with Eta at the helm, Union Berlin beat SV Darmstadt 1-0.
Before starting his career on the bench, Eta developed a career as a professional midfielder in clubs such as Werder Bremen, Hamburg, BV Cloppenburg and Turbine Potsdam, with whom he won the Champions League in 2010. He was also part of the youth teams of the German national team, although he did not make his debut for the senior team. She retired at the age of 26 and began her career as a coach in Werder Bremen’s youth football, passing through the German youth teams until her arrival at Union Berlin, where she progressed until becoming the first coach of the under-19 team in 2025.
Her debut as interim coach will be on April 18 against Wolfsburg. Beyond the immediate challenge of ensuring his team’s permanence in the Bundesliga, Eta’s appointment transcends sports and marks a break with a persistent void in football:
