Union Berlin's Marie-Louise Eta faces backlash after historic appointment

Sexism and Hate

The appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as Union Berlin's interim manager has sparked a mix of praise and backlash on social media.

While many have hailed her historic appointment, others have resorted to sexism and hate online.

In an interview with CNN Sports, Eta spoke about the backlash she faced.

‘It was just about getting it right on the pitch from the start… I was just happy when it started,’ she said.

Despite being the better team by all accounts, Union Berlin's first foray into the German top-flight ended in a 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg.

Progressive Thinking and Undisputed Ability

Philipp Köster, founder of Germany’s most popular soccer magazine ‘11FREUNDE’, said:

‘The appointment was very much in keeping with Union Berlin’s progressive policies, but I was surprised they trusted her with the role … to secure Union in the league because it wasn’t previously hinted at.

‘But at the same time when you look at the competence, it is also quite logical.’

Köster said Eta's intelligence and know-how of the game are ‘undisputed’.

‘The much more important is the question of why football needed so long to be confident for a woman to also train a men’s team. So the questions you have to ask yourself are more embarrassing for football than for Marie-Louise Eta.’