On Thursday, the Superettanlaget AFC Eskilstuna published a picture of one of the team's new players wearing a pink skirt on Facebook.
According to the caption, he was allowed to train with it as a "punishment" during the "wedge week" during the training camp in Turkey.
The photo was shared on social media by the club and taken down shortly thereafter.
But the image had had time to spread and was shared as a screenshot of the original post.
Criticism from politicians
Many have criticized the post, including leading Eskilstuna politicians Robin Tannarp (M), Sarita Hotti (S), and the municipal board chairman Jimmy Jansson (S).
Jimmy Jansson calls the incident "very serious" and writes that the municipal companies that sponsor the club today will have a discussion about what happened.
The club's office and security manager Gino Torlo is very critical of how the club has acted and says that they will now, among other things, train the men's players and leaders in gender equality.
He believes that the picture was sent from a player in Turkey with accompanying caption and that it was then negligently shared on the club's social media.
"Should not be a punishment to wear a skirt"
He says that AFC Eskilstuna has zero tolerance for wedges and that the incident in Turkey has taken place outside the team's regular activities.
- It's an internal joke after the training that has bypassed the entire management.
A stupid game that went out of control, he says.
According to Gino Torlo, there have been no insults or penalties before.
- It is completely unacceptable.
We are disgusted by what happened.
The image is offensive to the female sex.
It should not be a punishment to wear a skirt.
Now the club apologizes for what happened.
- Not least to all partners, sponsors and fans.