Eta’s appointment as the first female coach of a men’s team was followed by a flurry of derogatory and sexist comments on social media.
Published April 14, 2026
Union Berlin has condemned sexist online abuse against Marie-Louise Eta, the first woman to coach a Bundesliga men’s team.
Etta was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season following the sacking of Steffen Baumgart on Saturday, and will oversee the men’s first team until the end of the season before moving on to the club’s women’s team.
However, her appointment was followed by a flurry of derogatory and sexist comments on social media.
The club has postponed online and in-person events.
Horst Herdt, Union’s director of men’s professional football, said: “We have 100 per cent trust in Louis, we have complete confidence. I think it’s strange that we have to deal with something like this in this day and age, that we have to justify ourselves.”
Communications director Christian Arbeit said Eta just wanted to coach.
“Marie Louise Eta has a very pragmatic approach to everything,” he said.
“She’s very aware that it’s something special, but football is at the forefront for her. She wants to work with the team and she wants to be on the field.”
In response to comments expressing concern about Eta’s treatment and potential sexist backlash if she loses the match, the club posted that “Union’s family is rooting for her.”
“With all due respect, this is sexism,” the union’s account on X responded to a post claiming players wouldn’t take women’s instructions on tactics seriously.
She labeled another comment “sexist” claiming that male coaches who lost to her would lose face.
Eta’s appointment drew praise from Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, who called the decision “a strong signal for women in professional football and elite-level sport,” but misspelled Eta’s name in the process. The club corrected him. “We were very overwhelmed,” Wegner responded.
Union aim to remain in the Bundesliga next season, and Eta has been appointed interim manager for the remaining five games of the season.
Union previously announced that she would become head coach of the club’s women’s team next season, but Herdt did not rule out the possibility of her continuing with the men’s team after this season.
“I don’t think it makes sense to rule out anything more at this point,” he said.
The union said it would continue to protect its staff from harassment, and Heldt added that the club would do everything possible to prevent the controversy from continuing.
Union sit 11th in the Bundesliga standings and host relegation-threatened Wolfsburg on Saturday.
