Oxford United had to pay chairman Firoz Kassam's company Firoka (Oxford United Stadium) Ltd £385,224 last year to rent the Kassam Stadium, writes JON MURRAY.

That works out at more than £7,000 a week.

The figure is revealed in the latest set of club accounts and represents a £47,000 increase on the previous year.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Oxford Mail, Oxford United recorded a rare profit for the year ended June 30, 2004.

Thanks in part to £200,000 they received from the sale of Dexter Blackstock to Southampton, they made an operating profit of £73,000 and a profit after tax of £3,320.

That compares with a loss, after tax, of £116,000 the previous year.

In his report to shareholders about 2003-4, Kassam said: "The club had a successful year and was in the automatic promotion or in the play-off places for a major part of the season. However, at the end of the season, the club finished at ninth position in Division 3 of the Nationwide League.

"The club did not enjoy much success in any of the cup runs and were knocked out of the three competitions in the first round, except in the Carling Cup where the club lost to Reading in the second round."

Operating costs and administration expenses were both reduced, with wages and salaries down from £1.7m to £1.6m.