After naming Marie-Louise Eta the first female head coach in Europe's “big five” soccer leagues, Union Berlin says the club “has her back” as senior executives condemned sexist comments on social media Monday.
Eta’s first Bundesliga game is Saturday against Wolfsburg. There have already been critical comments on social media suggesting that she’s not suitable for the job because she’s a woman.
Union has pushed back online and in person.
“We have 100 percent confidence in Loui, with complete conviction. I find it crazy that we have to deal with this in this day and age, that we have to justify ourselves,” Union’s director of men’s professional football, Horst Heldt said.
Communications director Christian Arbeit said Eta just wanted to coach.
“Marie-Louise Eta has a very pragmatic approach to all of its,” he said. “She's very conscious that it's something special, but for her soccer is in the foreground. She wants to work with the team and she wants to be on the field.”
Eta has been named interim coach for the last five games of the season as Union aims to secure its spot in the Bundesliga for next season. Union previously said she will take over as head coach of the club’s women’s team for next season, but Heldt didn't rule out her continuing with the men's team either after this season.
“I think at the moment it wouldn't make sense to rule anything out beyond that,” he said.
“With all due respect, that's sexism,” Union's account on X responded to a post arguing that players wouldn't take a woman's instructions about tactics seriously. Eta is a longtime member of the club's coaching staff who has been assistant to the men's team and head coach of the under-19 team.
It branded another comment “sexist” for claiming that a male coach who lost to her would lose face.
Responding to a comment expressing concern about the treatment of Eta and a potential sexist backlash if she loses a game, the club posted: “The Union family has her back.”
The decision to appoint Eta won praise from Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner, who called the decision “a strong signal for professional soccer and for women in elite-level sports,” but spelled Eta's name wrong in the process. The club corrected him. “We were so overwhelmed,” Wegner answered.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
CA Is Burning said:
The ideological blind sheep are editing & endorsing. When will integrity and honesty return to newspapers, large and small?
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.