Leeds United fans question captaincy decision for Hull City Carabao Cup clash

Leeds United fans have questioned the decision to hand Kiko Casilla the captain’s armband against Hull City.

The Whites have made 11 changes for the Carabao Cup tie against their Yorkshire rivals, including Casilla starting in goal.

Whilst Whites fans were keen to see how Rodrigo performs in his first start for the club with 17-year-old Charlie Cresswell also making his debut, there was also disappointment over the decision to hand Casilla the captain’s armband.

The goalkeeper was found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic’s Jonathan Leko last season and served an eight-game ban for the offence, leading Whites fans to question whether someone with that track record was the right choice for captain.

Casilla was an ever-present for the Whites before the suspension but has subsequently dropped down the pecking order.

Leeds have been linked with bringing a new goalkeeper in and were said to be interested in Arsenal’s Emiliano Martinez before his move to Aston Villa was confirmed this week.

French youngster Illan Meslier ended last season as the Whites’ first-choice goalkeeper and also started against Liverpool on Saturday.

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Meslier’s form has been such that some have questioned whether there is a need to bring in a more senior goalkeeper to start in place of the 20-year-old France under-21 international.

Yet it certainly seems Meslier has now replaced Casilla as the Whites’ first-choice stopper.

Casilla, 33, had claimed that he was unaware of the existence of the racist word he was found guilty of using towards Leko.

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Whilst an independent commission accepted that the Spaniard is not racist and that the incident was out of character, it was ‘satisfied on the balance of probabilities’ that he had directed a racist remark towards the player.

Should the Whites beat Hull, they will face West Ham United in the next round of the Carabao Cup.

Winners of this year’s tournament will also qualify for a new European competition – the UEFA Europa Conference League.