CAPPED OFF
Premier League strugglers strip midfielder of captaincy after he started huge brawl and shoved team-mate and coach
The Premier League captain's replacement has already been named
MARIO LEMINA has been stripped of the Wolves captaincy and replaced by Nelson Semedo, who will skipper Gary O'Neil's strugglers against Ipswich Town on Saturday.
O'Neil took the decision to relieve Lemina of his duties early this week during a meeting with the midfielder and some key staff.
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The 31-year-old midfielder replaced Max Kilman as Wolves skipper this summer and has worn his heart on his sleeve - alongside his armband.
Earlier this season he broke down in tears after a home defeat to Liverpool and had to be consoled by Virgil van Dijk, a former teammate of his at Southampton.
But his controversial captaincy came to an end following ugly scenes after Monday night's defeat at West Ham.
Lemina clashed with Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen and then had to be pulled away following a public spat with Wolves assistant Shaun Derry on the pitch, following Wolves' 2-1 defeat.
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O'Neil confirmed Semedo will now lead Wolves out at home to Ipswich.
"We’ve spoken a lot this week, me Mario and some of the other senior players because what happened after the game can’t happen," he said.
"We understand emotions can rise and we’re in a tough moment and everyone is under big stress and pressure but they are scenes we won’t see again.
"We get on very well, Mario and myself, he has been a big part of what we’ve been able to do here and we have a large amount of respect for each other.
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"We decided to move the captaincy to Nelson and Nelson will captain the group from now on."
O'Neil believes he has lifted a huge weight off Lemina's shoulders and backed the volatile Gabon international to show his love for the club on the pitch this weekend.
Huge brawl erupts after West Ham beat Wolves with Bowen thrown to ground as tensions boil over following El Sackico
He said: "He's been a big part of what we've been able to do here and we have a large amount of respect for each other.
"Sometimes you can come out of these discussions in a really good spot and I think that we have.
"When we get the best out of him his level is so high he will play a big part for us which he's extremely keen to do.
"He will 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.
"The most important thing is us getting the best out of everybody - getting the best out of Mario Lemina week in, 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."
Joao Gomes will miss the clash with suspension, while and Pablo Sarabia remain out along with long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic, Enzo Gonzalez and Bouba Traore.
Wolves enter a crucial period with fixtures against fellow strugglers Ipswich and Leicester in their next two games.
O'Neill is under huge pressure to deliver results.
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SunSport understands Wolves' leadership team continue to back their beleaguered boss and do not blame him totally for their poor run of results which has seen them win just twice in 15 league games.
But defeats in the coming days could lead to a dramatic twist in the situation.
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