Eta shifts focus away from herself after first win in charge of Union
After her first win in charge of Union Berlin on Sunday, coach Marie-Louise Eta remained humble and preferred to shift the focus away from herself. "I'm happy for the whole team, for the staff, for the squad and for the lads," Eta said after the 3-1 Bundesliga win against Mainz. She took the job last month as she became the first woman to coach a men's football team in one of Europe's top leagues.
In her previous three games in charge, Union lost twice and drew once. "Of course that as a coach I'm also very happy because in the end it's always about winning football games and it's always a good feeling when you achieve that," she said. Eta took charge of the team on an interim basis and the final Bundesliga match on Saturday against Augsburg is expected to be her last game in the men's top flight for now.
"It was clearly communicated, and I'm just looking forward to one last week with the lads. We'll do everything we can to prepare them well and then work together to get three more points at home," she said. From next season, Eta will serve as coach for Union Berlin women's team, something she doesn't see as a step back.
Instead, she emphasized the positive growth of women's football as a whole. "I signed the contract some time ago with complete conviction," she said.