HISTORY has been made in Germany after Union Berlin appointed the first-ever female coach in the Bundesliga.
They announced on Wednesday that first-team boss Urs Fischer had left the club after five years at the helm.
The Swiss led them to their first Bundesliga promotion in his debut season and followed that up by qualifying for Europe for the past three seasons.
Fischer then led them to the Champions League, where they are competing for the first time this term, but has departed after a disastrous run of form domestically.
Union Berlin are currently bottom of the Bundesliga and are winless in 14 matches across all competitions.
They have named their U19 boss Marco Grote as interim manager while they wait to appoint a permanent successor.
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However, the announcement of Marie-Louise Eta, 32, as his assistant has marked a groundbreaking moment.
She has worked closely as Grote’s No.2 for the U19s after taking up that role in June 2023.
Eta previously worked as an assistant coach for a number of women’s national teams after hanging up her boots following a career playing Hamburger SV, BV Cloppenburg and Werder Bremen.
The former German international will now make history on November 25 when she becomes the first woman in the dugout for a Bundesliga game when her team face FC Augsburg.
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Union Berlin club president confirmed the news of Fischer’s exit, along with his assistant Markus Hoffman, in a statement that read: “I only recently made it clear that Urs Fischer is an excellent coach, and I continue to be absolutely convinced of that.
“His personality and his successful work have shaped our club in recent years and opened up many new opportunities for us.
“During these five-and-a-half years of our collaboration, respect and trust developed between us, on the basis of which we were able to exchange ideas openly and honestly at any time.
“Together we have now come to the conclusion that now is the time to take a different path.
“For me personally and certainly for the entire Union family, this is a very sad moment. It hurts that we haven’t been able to break the negative trend of the last few weeks.
“Looking back on the time we spent together and the successes we celebrated together, I am grateful and proud. As painful as this separation is, Urs Fischer leaves as a friend who will be welcomed by us with open arms at all times.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
