Sale media guru axed for fan blast

Sale Sharks have been lurching from one crisis to another this season and the festive season saw no let-up as the Aviva Premiership club fired a social media executive.

Holleh Nowrouz, 26, who was responsible for the club’s social media output, enraged Sale fans by calling them “absolute f***wits”. The post, made on her personal Facebook page back in October but which could be seen by all users of the social network, was discovered by a fan in the aftermath of the side’s 62-0 Heineken Cup defeat to Toulon.

The post read: “Oh, the joys of managing a sport club’s social media when we’ve lost the last 7 Premiership home games. To the Sale Sharks fans who comment about the club needing to spend less time blogging and tweeting and more time coaching, the staff who create content for the website and social media platforms are not the same members of staff who coach the team. You absolute f***wits.”

Although Nowrouz initially kept her job after apologising to supporters, Sale released a statement on Christmas Eve revealing she had been sacked.

“Following a stringent disciplinary review Sale Sharks has announced that the club’s social media executive Holleh Nowrouz, has been dismissed from her role with immediate effect,” said the statement.

“The club’s CEO Steve Diamond conducted the review in the aftermath of adverse comments made towards a section of the club’s fans on a personal social networking site.”

Diamond went on to say that Nowrouz’s remarks were unacceptable: “As a club we have always been proud of the backing we receive from our supporters our 151-year history.

“Holleh’s comments, though private, just overstepped the mark and left her position untenable.”

Despite making big-name signings such as Richie Gray and Danny Cipriani Sale have endured their worst start to a Premiership season and prop up the table with one win from 11 games. The Toulon defeat was the heaviest in the club’s Heineken Cup history.