BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin Labor Union has appointed Marie-Louise Eta. First female assistant coach in the Bundesliga —He will take over as head coach to replace the dismissed Steffen Baumgart and ensure the team’s survival in the Bundesliga.
Union announced just before midnight that Baumgart and his assistants Danilo de Sousa and Kevin McKenna had all been sacked after the team lost 3-1 to bottom-placed Heidenheim on Saturday.
Mr. Eta is the coach of the U-19 team. agreed to take over the Union women’s team.she was in a similar position in 2024, when she had to fill in as an assistant coach for suspended head coach Nenad Bjelica for three games. She became the first female coach to manage a Bundesliga men’s team.
She had already made history earlier that season as the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga and the entire top division of Europe’s ‘big five’ football leagues.
“We are pleased that Marie-Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before taking over as head coach of the women’s first team in the summer,” Union sporting director Horst Herdt said in a statement.
Baumgart, a former Union player, said: Appointed during winter break 2024-2025 But Heldt said the club needed to take drastic action after recent results.
“We have had a completely disappointing second half of the season so far, but we cannot be fooled by the table. Our situation remains precarious and we desperately need points to secure our place in the league.”
The defeat at Heidenheim left Union in 11th place in the 18-team division, seven points behind relegation-placed St. Pauli with five matches remaining.
“After the win of two out of 14 games since the winter break and our performance in recent weeks, we are not confident that we can turn things around with our current structure. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start,” said Heldt.
Union will host Wolfsburg, who are also competing to remain in the league, next weekend.
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