Mario Lemina Stripped Of Wolves Captaincy As Semedo Takes Over

Portugal international Nelson Semedo will take his place going forward.

Lemina was involved in a bitter altercation with West Ham United skipper Jarrod Bowen following a 2-1 defeat at the London stadium on Monday.

The Gabon international then refused to be cooled down by his teammates and some members of the Wolves coaching staff as tempers flared.

Lemina was named Wolves captain at the start of the season after Max Kilman left the club for West Ham.

"We've decided to move the captaincy to Nelson and Nelson will captain the group from now on," Wolves boss Gary O'Neil told reporters on Friday. 

"Of course, the other night sparked the conversation, but it was an important conversation that had to be had. Mario and myself have a good understanding now of how we move forward and what it looks like.

"We've spoken a lot this week - me, Mario and some of the other senior players. What happened after the game can't happen.

"We all understand emotions can rise, that we're in a tough moment and everyone's fighting and giving everything under big stress and pressure. But they're scenes we won't see again, definitely."

He added: "The discussions with Mario were good. We get on very well and he's been a big part of what we've been able to do here, especially since I've been here. We have a large amount of respect for each other.

"These things - sometimes they can be tough to deal with and sometimes you can come out of them in a good spot, and I feel like we have [come out in a good spot].

"He'll still be around that group of senior players who lead the team, but at this moment we feel it's best for Nelson to lead the group."

Wolves are 19th on the Premier League table and host relegation rivals Ipswich Town on Saturday.