Wolves strip Mario Lemina of captaincy after West Ham crisis as former Barcelona player takes armband
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neil has confirmed that Mario Lemina has been stripped of his captaincy.
The decision comes after the midfielder was trapped in a post-match fight with West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen after Wolves' 2-1 defeat to the London team.
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At a press conference, O'Neil explained that Nelson Semedo will be the team's captain from now on.
He said: “The conversations with Mario were good. We get along very, very well. It's been a big part of what we've been able to do here and we have a lot of respect for each other.
“Sometimes you can come out of these discussions in a very good position, and I think that's the case.
“I have a lot of respect for Mario and what he can still do for us.
“When we get the best out of him on the pitch, his level is very high and he will continue to play an important role for us, something he is very keen to do.
“He will still be in the senior group leading the team, but at this time we believe it is best for Nelson to lead the group.
“The most important thing is that we get the best out of everyone: get the best out of Mario Lemina week after week, the same for Nelson and the rest of the group.
“We addressed it at the beginning of the week and since then the focus has been solely on Ipswich, Mario is ready, Nelson is ready and the rest of the players are ready.”
Lemina and Bowen clashed at full-time as they approached to shake hands, with the Gabon international appearing to ignore the Hammers star.
The couple then turned red and grabbed each other's shirts.
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Both ended up on the grass, with players from both teams running to stop the fight.
His teammates intervened when tempers boiled over, but Lemina then confronted Shaun Derry, the first team coach.
After the match, Lemina took to social media to apologize, but reiterated that Bowen was to blame.
On Instagram, Lemina posted: “This morning I write this message in retrospect and I really want to apologize to all the people who love this club and love football.
“I never wanted this to happen on the field, I have always been a fair player, even in defeats. If something is said, make sure the truth comes out.
“I shook hands with this player, like I always do, and they grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I simply reacted to a situation that I did not cause at all. I love my team, the staff and all the people who make up this club. .
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“We're all going to fight harder to get through this. Shaun, you know, we're going to fight again and again.”
After scoring the 2–1 winning goal, Bowen spoke after the match about the incident with Lemina.
“I just went to shake his hand after the game. He didn't want to shake my hand, two captains together just to say 'well done' after the game,” he told Sky Sports.
“I know it's hard to lose. I've been on the end of that situation,” Bowen added.
O'Neil insisted Lemina was “calm” after the incident and described the now-former captain as a “passionate guy.”
“Something was said that bothered him,” he added.
“The staff's instinct was to make sure he didn't get into trouble, but he needed a little bit to calm down.
“The staff, the players, everyone understands that things like that can happen, especially with the heat it's out right now.”
Semedo will be the captain of his team starting Saturday, when they face Ipswich Town.
