Dalitso Sailesi responds to MOTM interview talk : ”I went to Cosafa for football”

The 21-year old Nyasa Big Bullets and Flames winger was named man of the match during Malawi’s goalless draw to Mauritius in the on going Cosafa Castle Cup in South Africa but received criticism from some sections of Malawians for changing the language from English to Chichewa when he was interviewed by a Supersport reporter.

Now, after arriving back into the country on Friday, Dalitso Sailesi was quick to hit back at his critics saying he travelled to South Africa to play football and not school.

He told reporters that before leaving Malawi, he was asked to carry his boots and not books and ball pens.

“First of all, I was happy with the award of man of the match after the game considering that we were 22 players on the day but I was named man of the match,” he explained.

On the reaction of some sections of Malawians when he failed to speak English, Sailesi said:”I went there to play football and not to be schooled. When I was given that accolade, I was given because I played football and nothing else so I don’t care what others are saying.

“If Cosafa wanted educated people, they would have chosen them but they wanted footballers that’s where we travelled to South Africa,” he said.

The said interview went viral on the social media as it sparkled debate as to whether the player did well by starting with English before switching to Chichewa when the Supersport presenter was asking him the questions.