In a statement to the Oxford United official web site Firoz Kassam today reiterated that he was intending to sell the football club and related activities. Kassam was unable to be more specific, but said that he was in discussions with a couple of interested parties.

There was a strong hint that negotiations involved the sale of both Oxford United and at least some of the other projects connected with the club at Minchery Farm, such as the Kassam Stadium and Quadrangle conference centre, the Holiday Inn Express hotel and the O-Zone leisure centre, the first phase of which is due to open on December 5th. Kassam repeated his pledge that the long-term future of the club remains his main concern, and he left himself a get-out clause with the statement that “sooner rather than later I have a very difficult decision to make”.

The continuation of Kassam's intent to sell comes despite the news that the City Council and the United chairman have resolved their differences over the land that the O-Zone is sited upon, the deeds having been transferred to Kassam at the end of last week. There was speculation that his threat to sell was possibly a bluff to get the Council to act, but this latest statement seems to imply that it was genuine. Kassam has said that he will call a press conference when there is something concrete to report.