If the press conference before the game between the eleventh-placed team in the German Bundesliga and the second-to-last team attracts media in droves from all over Europe, then the enormous appeal of the appointment of Marie-Louise Eta at Union Berlin as the first female head coach of a men’s professional team in one of Europe’s top leagues becomes clear.
The 34-year-old explained in her inaugural speech that she understands the attention to the recurring questions about the “role of women in football”, which – as one questioner himself introduced – should actually no longer be asked in 2026. Reduced to facts, a person with the appropriate qualifications, in this case the highest pro coaching license and experience with the team from their time as an interim assistant, takes over at a currently struggling club. It’s about football and working with people, Eta explained eloquently several times.
The media visibility of their pioneering role as well as the consistently respectful inquiries on this stage are the positive news. Only through regular discussion can what is still unknown to many become part of their own football world – and Eta an example for other clubs around the world.
And this normalization is urgently needed to show limits to the notorious Internet mob. Because the extent of hate messages and misogynistic comments that constituted the bad news left not only those responsible for the Union speechless. According to Eta’s own statement, she doesn’t want to expose herself to any of this and instead just insists that after the start against Wolfsburg on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) she too should be judged according to established criteria in the football business: performance and success – regardless of gender.
Emails to senta.wintner@diepresse.obfuscationcom
