Oxford United chairmen past and present clashed in a war of words as the gloom hanging over the club showed no sign of lifting.

After a turbulent few days for the club, chairman Nick Merry and chief investor Ian Lenagan broke their silence, as former owner Firoz Kassam claimed that he was still owed money for the club's use of the Kassam Stadium, which he still owns.

While behind-the-scenes talks about the possible sale of the stadium to the club continued, supporters complained that they had been kept in the dark about the real extent of the club's troubles.

No official statement has been made on speculation among fans that the club might opt to go into administration.

However, the Oxford Mail understands that option is not being seriously considered.

Responding to claims that he was being made a scapegoat for the on and off-the-field problems, Mr Kassam said: "It's very nice and easy to blame Kassam for everything."

As the team faced Cambridge United at home on Tuesday night — a game they won 3-1 to partially lift spirits — Mr Kassam's Firoka company refused to serve food to United's directors, in protest at what it called "non-payment of bills".

United pay more than £400,000 a year to their former chairman for the use of the stadium that bears his name, but Mr Kassam said the club had fallen behind with the rent payments.

On Tuesday night, Firoka's operations director John Angus said: "The issue with the club is based on the non-payment of bills.

"Each quarter a payment is required for the rent, which has not been met. The payment was not forthcoming and we could not provide a food service without payment."

The acquisition of the stadium is crucial to United's future financial stability, but Mr Kassam remained defiant over Mr Merry and Mr Lenagan's apparent inability to come up with the £13m needed to buy it.

He said: "The situation has always been there. If they cannot raise the money it is the current owner's problem, not mine."

When asked if he wanted to see United fold, he said: "Absolutely not, but people have to run their business. I absolutely do not want to see the club go under."

Season-ticket holder Michael Nevay, 24, who travels from Stoke-on-Trent to support the club at every home game, said: "Firoz Kassam may well send the bailiffs to the stadium once a quarter to get a quicker settlement from the current regime and it's worrying this is happening. Given what we've heard from the club and rumours there isn't any money to go round, what will happen to us in the future?

"This is a sorry state for our club to be in and Nick Merry and Ian Lenagan need to get their act together and talk to us fans and be honest from the start."

Lifelong fan Ryan Wells, 25, from Berinsfield, south Oxfordshire, said: "It's been a shocking week. I just want them to get on with it, but we know nothing really, because Merry and Lenagan never talk.

"OxVox wanted a fans' forum but they (Woodstock Partners Ltd) won't do it. At the moment, you just don't know what to believe.

"If Kassam says he's got the club at heart and knows Merry's got no money to buy the stadium, then why did he sell the club to them? That was the idea — Kassam knew what he was doing."