Union's Eta: Success in football transcends gender

Union Berlin's Coach Marie-Louise Eta speaks during a press conference for the team ahead of their match against VFL Wolfsburg, at the Stadion an der Alten Foersterei. Andreas Gora/dpa

Union Berlin coach Marie-Louise Eta has said she is focussing on success on the football pitch and not on her role as a new female role model in the male-dominated sport.

Eta, 34, became the first woman to coach a men's team in a European top league when she was appointed on Saturday at Bundesliga club Union for the rest of the season in succession of Steffen Baumgart.

She started training on Tuesday and had a first news conference on Thursday ahead of the weekend match against second last Wolfsburg.

"For me, it has always been about football. What matters to me is working with people and doing what I enjoy most – and that includes achieving the greatest possible success through teamwork and working together,” she said.

Eta said she was looking forward to Saturday's match debut. Union are seven points above the danger zone but not safe yet after winning only two of their 14 matches in 2026.

"It’s lovely when it’s all about football, about success, about performance. That’s something that transcends gender. Once the whistle blows, it’s just football,” she said.

Eta was previously an Union assistant coach and last in charge of their under-19 team. She is designated to take over the women's first team in summer but that could change depending on the results she achieves with the men.

Her appointment had sparked a gender debate on which Eta said: "I fully understand that this is simply something that features in the public eye, that the whole issue plays a part. I’m generally familiar with the issue and it’s just never been a concern for me.”

Eta was the target of sexist online abuse which Union firmly condemned. She said she doesn't read such comments and they "say more about those putting them online than those they target."