Marie-Louise Eta: Union Berlin condemns sexist abuse of new coach

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By Enitan Abdultawab

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Union Berlin has condemned viral sexist abuse of Marie-Louise Eta, who was recently unveiled as the German club’s new manager.

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The club’s sports director, Horst Heldt, told journalists that he sees the sexist abuse as insane, as several netizens took to social media to comment on the development.

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Heldt said, “It’s just embarrassing. I’ve noticed it, but I also refuse to read or even just expose myself to that kind of nonsense because for me this is about quality – leadership quality.

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“We’re talking about a highly competent leader here, and you can be sure that everyone here at Union, whether in the stands or within the club itself, stands 100% behind this decision and will do everything in their power to ensure that this doesn’t lead to any further discussion in the future.”

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According to Heldt, Eta is “getting a handle on things very, very quickly” and will lead her first training session on Tuesday.

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“She had a great run with the U19s team, so she’s already fulfilled a role as head coach and is experienced,” he said.

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“Another advantage is that we all know her and she knows us. She doesn’t need to be shown the ropes here – she knows it all. She knows the stadium, the atmosphere, the people and, above all, the players.”

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Heldt also said that the club has enough confidence in her and it’s ready to commit the team to her management.

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“We have 100% confidence in Loui – complete conviction. I find it insane that we have to deal with this in this day and age,” he said.

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Eta took charge of Union Berlin, who are 11th in the 18-team Bundesliga, and are 11 points clear of the automatic relegation zone with five matches remaining but have won only twice in 14 league outings in 2026.

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