Shortly before midnight on Saturday, Bundesliga club Union Berlin surprised the football world by firing head coach Steffen Baumgart along with assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna.
According to managing director for men's professional football, Horst Heldt, quoted on the club's official website, this decision came as a result of an "absolutely disappointing second half of the season."
"We urgently need points to secure our place in the league," Heldt declared, adding that he no longer believes that a "turnaround can be achieved with the current structure."
In the interim, the team will be led by Marie Louise Eta, who is currently the U19 coach and will take over the women's team this summer.
"I am pleased that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis," said Heldt.
Eta thus becomes the first female coach in the history of an elite men's league in Europe, albeit on a temporary basis. She herself expresses optimism about survival:
"I am grateful that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of the strengths of Union has always been unity and mobilization in difficult situations. And, of course, I strongly believe that with this team we will secure the decisive points."
Baumgart returned to Berlin in January 2025 - the former striker had played for Union from 2002 to 2004.
After the first half of the season, Union was ranked ninth with 23 points, but since the winter restart, Baumgart's team has only managed to collect nine more points.
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