Union ‌Berlin condemns sexist abuse aimed at female manager Marie-Lou Eta | Soccer News

Eta’s role as the first female manager of a men’s team was followed by disparaging and sexist comments on social media.

Union ‌Berlin directed the sexist online abuse at ⁠Marie-Louise Eta after becoming the first woman to take charge of a men’s Bundesliga team.

Eta was appointed interim head coach on Saturday for the remainder of the season following the sacking of Steffen Baumgart and will oversee the men’s first team until the end of the campaign before moving to the club’s ‌women’s side.

However, her appointment was followed by disparaging and sexist comments on social media.

The club pushed back online and in person.

“We have 100 percent confidence in Loui, with full conviction. I think it’s crazy that we have to deal with this in this day and age, that we have to justify ourselves,” Union’s director of men’s professional soccer, Horst Heldt, said.

Communications director Christian Arbeit said Eta just wanted to coach.

“Marie-Louise Eta has a very pragmatic approach to her everything,” he said.

“She is very aware that this is something special, but for her football is in the foreground. She wants to work with the team, and she wants to be on the field.”

In response to a comment expressing concern about the treatment of Eta and a possible sexist backlash if she loses a game, the club posted: “The Union family has her back.”

“With all due respect, that’s sexism,” Union’s account on X responded to a post arguing that players wouldn’t take a woman’s instructions about tactics seriously.

It branded another comment “sexist” for claiming that a male coach who lost to her would lose face.

The decision to hire Eta drew praise from Berlin mayor Kai Wegner, who called the decision “a strong signal for professional football and for women in elite-level sport”, but misspelled Eta’s name in the process. The club helped him. “We were so overwhelmed,” Wegner replied.

Eta has been named as interim coach for the final five games of the season as Union aim to secure their place in the Bundesliga for next season.

Union said earlier that she would take over as head coach of the club’s women’s team for next season, but Heldt did not rule out that she would also continue with the men’s team after this season.

“I think at the moment it wouldn’t make sense to rule anything out,” he said.

Union said it would continue to protect staff from harassment, with Heldt adding that the club would do everything possible to ensure the debate did not continue.

Union are 11th in the Bundesliga standings and host relegation-threatened Wolfsburg on Saturday.