Just before the clock struck midnight, Bundesliga club Union Berlin shocked the football community by parting ways with head coach Steffen Baumgart and his assistants, Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna.
Horst Heldt, the managing director of men’s professional football, stated on the club’s official website that this decision stemmed from an “utterly disappointing second half of the season.”
“We desperately need to secure points to maintain our position in the league,” Heldt stressed, underscoring the club’s primary aim. He no longer believes a “turnaround can be achieved with the existing structure.”
Marie Louise Eta Makes History
In the interim, Marie Louise Eta will step in as head coach. Currently at the helm of the U19 team, she is set to lead the women’s squad starting this summer.
“I’m delighted that Marie Louise Eta has agreed to take on this interim role,” Heldt remarked.
Eta, albeit on a temporary basis, becomes the first female head coach of a first team in a top-tier European league.
Expressing her confidence about the club’s future, Eta said: “I’m grateful to the club for entrusting me with this challenging assignment.
Union has always thrived on unity and harnessing our collective strength in tough circumstances. I firmly believe we’ll secure the vital points with this squad.“
Baumgart returned to Berlin in January 2025; the former striker had a playing stint with the Eisernen from 2002 to 2004. At the end of the first half of the season, Union was sitting ninth in the table with 23 points, however, since the winter break, Baumgart’s side has only managed to accumulate an additional nine points.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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