BERLIN, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Marie-Louise Eta will become the first woman to coach a men's Bundesliga club after Union Berlin appointed her on an interim basis for the final stretch of the season.
Eta takes charge with immediate effect as Union battles to secure its top-flight status, replacing Steffen Baumgart, who was dismissed following a poor run of results. Assistants Danilo de Souza and Kevin McKenna have also left the club.
The decision came hours after a 3-1 defeat away to bottom side Heidenheim, a result that underlined Union's alarming second-half slump despite the team sitting 11th in the table.
"We are having an absolutely disappointing second half of the season so far and are not letting ourselves be blinded by our position in the table: our situation remains threatening and we urgently need points to secure our place in the league," said Horst Heldt, the club's managing director for men's football.
"Two wins from 14 matches since the winter break, and the performances in recent weeks do not give us the conviction that we can still achieve a turnaround in the current constellation."
Eta, who has been coaching Union's U-19 side and is set to take over the club's women's team in the summer, will now lead the senior men's side through the decisive final weeks of the campaign.
"I am pleased that the club has entrusted me with this demanding task," Eta said. "One of Union's strengths was and is to pull together in situations like this. And of course, I am convinced that we can get the decisive points with the team."
Union's position in the table offers only limited comfort. The team has 32 points from 29 matches, seven clear of 16th-placed St. Pauli in the relegation playoff spot, leaving little margin for error.
A defining run of fixtures lies ahead, beginning with a home game against 17th-placed Wolfsburg. Trips to third-placed RB Leipzig and ninth-placed Mainz follow, while home matches against Cologne and Augsburg could ultimately determine whether Union retains its Bundesliga place. ■
