The Football Association is investigating after Stoke defender Robert Huth appeared to respond to a Twitter account which posts sexual images of individuals and asks users to guess their gender.
The account invites users of the social media site to guess from cropped photographs of people in explicit poses whether those pictured have male or female genitalia.
A series of tweets posted from Huth’s official account shows the 30-year-old German apparently playing the game.
He has already received criticism from within the trans community and may face action from the FA, which it is understood is looking into the matter.
Stoke declined to comment when contacted by Press Association Sport on Friday.
In October the FA handed QPR defender Rio Ferdinand a three-match suspension, as well as a £25,000 fine, for comments he made on Twitter.
Ferdinand directed a jibe at a Twitter follower containing the word ’sket’, which is understood to be a slang term taken to mean a promiscuous girl or woman.
In its statement concerning the former England captain, the FA said Ferdinand’s comment had been ”abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper” and an aggravated breach as it ”included a reference to gender”.
It is clear that @stokecity cannot allow @robert_huth to continue his transphobic adventures on #CONC. Club being put into disrepute.
— Ice QueenThingy (@QueenThingy) January 1, 2015
One Twitter user, @queenthingy, wrote: ”It is clear that @stokecity cannot allow @robert_huth to continue his transphobic adventures. Club being put into disrepute.”
Another, @infuriousbeauty, stated: ”People might want to consider asking @stokecity football club why their player @robert_huth thinks it’s okay to bully trans people online.”