Firoz Kassam
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Firoz Kassam (born 1955) is a British businessman and the owner and chairman of Oxford United F.C.. He was born in Tanzania of Asian parents and came to Britain as a student.
Firoz Kassam made his fortune in the hotel trade in London, and in 1999 bought Oxford United F.C. for £1m, also taking over its debts. In 2000 he started building a new 12,500 seat football stadium complex at Minchery Farm on the edge of Oxford, now called the Kassam Stadium, which includes a hotel, cinema, bowling alley, gym, health centre and restaurants. Oxford United played its first game there on 18 August 2001.
Oxford United's old home, The Manor Ground in Headington, was sold by Kassam to developers in 1999, and has since been demolished and developed into the Manor Hospital (http://www.nuffieldhospitals.org.uk/ourhospitals.asp?id=48), which opened in October 2004.
Firoz Kassam also owns the historic mansion and grounds of Heythrop Park which he purchased in 1999 for £15m. It has been developed into a luxury hotel with an 18-hole golf course and restored landscape gardens.