Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil has revealed that Mario Lemina has been stripped of his captaincy.
The verdict comes after the midfielder was involved in a post-match altercation with West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen following Wolves’ 2-1 loss to the London club.
In a news conference, O’Neil announced that Nelson Semedo will lead the team from now on.
He stated, “The discussions with Mario were positive. We get along really nicely. He’s been a significant 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 debates in a really excellent position, and I believe we have.
“I have a lot of respect for Mario, and what he’s still going to be able to do for us.”When we get the best out of him on the pitch, his level rises dramatically, and he will continue to play an important role for us, which he is eager to do.
“He’ll remain be around the team’s senior leadership group, but we believe Nelson is best suited to head the group right now.
“The most important thing is that we get the best out of everyone – getting the best out of Mario Lemina week in and week out, the same for Nelson and the rest of the group.
“We dealt with it earlier in the week and the focus since has been purely on Ipswich, Mario’s ready, Nelson’s ready and the rest of the players are ready.”
Lemina and Bowen clashed at full-time as they came to shake hands, with the Gabon international appearing to brush the Hammers star aside.
The two then saw red and grabbed one other’s clothing.
They both ended up on the ground, with players from both sides rushing in to break up the fight.
His teammates intervened when tempers flared, but Lemina then confronted Shaun Derry, the first team coach.
Following the match, Lemina apologised on social media, but claimed that Bowen was to blame.
Lemina wrote on Instagram: “This morning, I write this message with tremendous insight, and I sincerely want to sorry to everyone who loves this club and sport.
“I never intended this to happen on the pitch; I’ve always been a fair competitor, even in loss. If something is mentioned, ensure that the truth is shown.
“I shook this player’s hand as I always do, but I was seized and pushed to the ground. I simply reacted to a situation that I had no control over. I appreciate my team, staff, and club members.We will all fight harder to overcome this problem. Shaun, you already know we’re going to fight again and again.
After scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory, Bowen discussed the incident with Lemina.
“I just wanted to shake his hand after the game. He didn’t want to shake my hand after the game, even though there was two captains saying ‘well done’,” he told Sky Sports.
“I realise it’s painful to lose. I have been on the end of that situation,” Bowen added.
“Staff, players, everyone understands that things like that can happen, especially in the heat at the moment.”
Semedo will captain his side from Saturday onwards, when they face fellow strugglers Ipswich Town.
