Bayern chief Kompany hails Eta's Union role as something special

Eta made history on Saturday by becoming the inaugural woman to manage a Bundesliga outfit as she stepped in as temporary head coach at Union.

"I am genuinely delighted about Eta's new position," Kompany shared during a media briefing before Bayern's Champions League second leg clash with Real Madrid scheduled for Wednesday.

"These represent pivotal instances. It could be tempting to downplay them by claiming 'treat her like any other coach as a fellow professional'.

"Yet ultimately it feels truly remarkable," the Belgian coach continued.

"This creates numerous pathways for young girls involved in football who now believe they too can pursue coaching anywhere build a solid career and achieve great things. Such narratives hold immense value.

"I extend my best wishes to her and hope the one aspect where she avoids male treatment is the expectation of patience since patience is scarce at the top in coaching roles."

The 34 year old Eta previously handled Union's Under 19 squad and is set to oversee the team's women's side starting next season. She marked a milestone in 2023 as the pioneer female assistant in the German elite division with Union.

Union Berlin issued a strong rebuke on Monday against the misogynistic online harassment aimed at Eta after her selection stating it was regrettable that the club needed to address such backlash in 2026 describing the online chatter as "mad" and "shameful."