After getting thrashed 3-1 by last place Heidenheim, Union Berlin sacked manager Steffen Baumgart and made a historic move in hiring Marie-Louise Eta as its interim head coach.<\/p>\n
Eta becomes the first female head coach of a team in the Bundesliga. Below is the release from Union Berlin\u2019s website<\/a>:<\/p>\n Head coach Steffen Baumgart and assistant coaches Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna were relieved of their duties today, Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had a hugely disappointing second half of the season so far and will not allow ourselves to be blinded by our league position,\u201d said Union\u2019s director of men\u2019s professional football, Horst Heldt, on the decision. \u201cOur situation remains precarious and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league. Two wins from fourteen matches since the winter break and the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can still turn things around with the current set-up. We have therefore decided to make a fresh start.<\/p>\n \u201cI am delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this role on an interim basis before becoming head coach of the women\u2019s professional team in the summer as planned.<\/p>\n We would like to thank Steffen Baumgart, Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna for their work, to whom we owe our secure survival in the league last season and a good points haul in the first half of this season. We wish them all the best, both professionally and personally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,\u201d said Eta ahead of the final few games of the season. \u201cI am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union\u2019s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations. And, of course, I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Marie-Louise Eta is taking on her new role with immediate effect. The club will provide an update on the appointment of a new coach for the U-19s shortly.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n BFW Commentary<\/p>\n This is truly a monumental moment, but one could question how wise it was for Union Berlin to sack Baumgart. As Eta is about to experience, the veteran coach led an extremely thin roster, which is lacking talent to an 11th place spot in table entering Sunday\u2019s action.<\/p>\n While obviously not great, the Iron Ones are not in danger of relegation, even with a squad that that might not be up to par with many teams in the Bundesliga. What seemed to fell Baumgart was the team\u2019s performance in its last six games where it had one win, one draw, and four losses.<\/p>\n Regardless, Eta is getting a wonderful opportunity to break barriers, but she will have her work cut out for her to get this group motivated to finish the season strong. Games against VfL Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig, FC K\u00f6ln, Mainz 05, and FC Augsburg lie ahead, which\u2026could be a lot worse.<\/p>\n If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, Apple<\/a>, or any leading podcast distributor\u2026 <\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Join the conversation!<\/p>\n