Goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl has agreed to mutually terminate her contract with Swedish club Djurgarden following an ongoing feud with a number of fans.

She was pictured signing a rare Sweden goalkeeper shirt for a Hammarby fan.

Lindahl says she has experienced "harassment" a number of times.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper has questioned the safety of some women's games and wants them to become more inclusive in order to bring in new supporters - and says this is why she interacts with rival fans.

There was allegedly fan unrest in a 4-1 defeat to Linkoping in June, where supporters wore intimidating masks and threw pyrotechnics on to the pitch. In May, there were reports of four cases of assault at a subway station after a 1-0 loss to Hammarby, with Lindahl saying "we should not have violence here".

Lindahl has expressed strong views on social media, questioning violent events and the safety of other fans at women's games, while welcoming positive support for the club.

But her views have not always been well received. A banner brought to a game read: "We are unwanted gangs in the Lindahl league. Hedvig, you will never make us become quiet."

Lindahl told BBC Sport: "I'm disappointed that it wasn't possible to help the team reach a better place. I really wanted to come in and be a positive force to help develop the team.

"That makes me obviously a bit sad that it didn't turn out that way. I had an idea of a future at the club but I was afraid I would have to adapt a lot of myself to make it happen.

"I hoped I could maybe turn things around with the supporters but we never really got there."

'I'm trying to add value to the whole game'

Lindahl won two Women's Super League titles with Chelsea and reached the Olympic final twice with Sweden, as well as coming runner-up in the 2003 Women's World Cup.

She has played for some of Europe's top clubs including Wolfsburg and Atletico Madrid but experienced different fan cultures there than in Djurgarden, where a lot of the men's teams' supporters have come across to the women's game.

"I think it was a culture clash for sure. I should have informed myself a little bit better on what I could have expected at a very big club," said Lindahl.

"I really like that people come up to us and say 'I love the atmosphere surrounding everything in the women's games, I feel totally safe going with my small children and I feel represented'.

"The safety, the inclusion and the happiness are the very strong values that I really, truly appreciate. It's not up to me what the women's game will be. I just know that I have reacted very strongly if there's been anything that is not like that. That's what I have tried to say."

Lindahl says she "appreciates so many people in the world love the men's game for what it is" but there are possibilities to "make both versions of the game better".

The ex-Sweden international says she can "see the beauty" of the men's game and is only questioning the elements of it which are unsafe and have started to creep into the women's game.

"I'm not trying to take away from the men's game but to add value to the whole game," she added.

"I think sometimes I have unintentionally stepped on people's toes. Maybe it has been when I say people want safety around the games and those that do feel safe in the men's game obviously feel offended by that."

Lindahl believes she has received great support from match-going fans, her team-mates and staff at the club despite "a feeling of not being wanted" at times.

She is now contemplating retirement but hopes to have an opportunity to end her career "on a more positive note".

"I feel like I really had [my team-mates and staff] through this drama. They have been champions and they deserve so much support," said Lindahl.

"I really hope now I'm out of the picture that people can really come and support them. If I was a reason for them not coming to support, then go now."

[BBC]