“Every women who has decided to play soccer, her life is different because they have to do a lot of things to get to the pitch. Which, to me, means that we can put something else on the pitch other than talent: love for instance.” Wrapping up an interview with Hindustan Times, Amelia Valverde said this.
Valverde’s association with India was brief and, in the context of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, forgettable. But what she said came to mind when sexist comments were posted on social media after Union Berlin’s appointed Marie-Louise Eta, 34, as interim head coach making her the first female in charge of a men’s team in Europe’s top five leagues.
Eta replaced Steffen Baumgart after Union Berlin lost 1-3 to the league’s cellar team Heidenheim on Saturday.
Really important story
Reaction to Eta’s appointment has been mostly positive though. The mayor of Berlin welcomed the move. Vincent Kompany said it was a key moment, one that “opens a lot of opportunities to little girls who now play football and think “I can coach anywhere, make a real career and be successful”. These stories are really important.”
For Sarina Wiegman, a two-time European champion and World Cup finalist as coach, it was a moment when football reflected society. It was a decision taken days after Christina Koch became the first woman to fly around the moon. (You can read more about the Artemis II crew in Namita Bhandare’s excellent newsletter here).
For all its beauty and worldwide popularity – maybe because of it – football has n5ot been very amenable to change. Even in countries where same-sex marriages are legal, openly gay male footballers are rare. Yes, the needle has moved from how Justin Fashanu said he was treated in the 1980s but not by much. Over 40 years later, Josh Cavallo spoke of “internal homophobia” at Adelaide United.
For 50 years in England and 15 in West Germany, it was thought women could not, or should not, play football. India were once taken off FIFA rankings for not playing international matches. Kerala Blasters compensated for a steep fine on the men’s team by disbanding the women’s team. It wasn’t until 2018 that Manchester United decided they needed a women’s team. For ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant it is an idea whose time has yet to come.
Stephanie Frappart has led an all-women’s team of officials at the 2022 men’s World Cup but for all the growth in the women’s game, men outnumber women as head coaches. Nine of the 12 teams at the high table of Asian football in Australia last month had male head coaches. Of the 32 teams in the last women’s World Cup, only 12 had a female head coach.
It wasn’t till 2001 that a professional men’s team in Europe had a female coach. That was in Italy and in the third division. It wasn’t until 2023 that a team in the professional set-up in England had a female coach. And the likes of Andy Murray opting for Amelie Mauresmo as coach remains rare across sport. This post on X highlights some of the reasons.
More than saving the drop
On Saturday within hours of each other, Eta and Roberto de Zerbi will be attempting the same thing: to get their teams away from the drop zone. But, as Kompany has said, it will mean that much more for Eta. After all, it is unlikely that Tottenham Hotspur’s De Zerbi was ever asked whether he belonged to a men’s changing room. Eta was in 2023 when she was appointed assistant-coach at Union.
Narrating the story on X, @israel_ajoe said it didn’t matter that as a player, Eta was a three-time Bundesliga winner and part of the Turbine Potsdam squad that won the Champions League in 2010. Or that she has a Pro licence coaching badge. It didn’t matter that Eta had eight years of experience and had coached youth teams at Union.
“(The) only part I wish she is not treated like a man, is being patient with her, because the coaching job lacks patience on the leadership level,” said Kompany.
It fits that Union have been the first movers among the elite. They had a women’s team in the 1960s which on September 22, 1969, played the men’s side and lost 1-7. “For me, this is solely about leadership quality and we are fully convinced that Loui is up to the task. I find it absurd that we still have to justify this in 2026,” said Horst Heldt, the Union Berlin’s director of football, referring to the abuse Eta got. “Mes que un club” is FC Barcelona’s motto. It feels like Union Berlin have taken the slogan on loan till the end of the season.
