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Michael Gove wrote to Premier League football clubs urging them to back his plans for free schools and academies

Tottenham Hotspur football club is in talks to host a free school at its stadium after Michael Gove, the education secretary, wrote to every Premier League club urging them to back his reforms.

Following the letter from Gove, the club, whose manager Harry Redknapp is on trial for tax evasion, is planning to build a new stadium close to its current ground, White Hart Lane, with space set aside for “educational use”.

The club said it had held talks with a number of groups interested in establishing a free school at the stadium but had yet to decide who would take the space in the 56,000-capacity arena.

The development, which was uncovered by the BBC’S Sunday Politics London show, adds a new twist to the controversial free schools programme.

Gove wrote that he hoped football clubs might meet him to discuss sponsoring an academy or setting up a free school. He said: “It would be possible to ensure that training is incorporated effectively into the school day without disrupting pupils’ academic studies.”

He added: “Football clubs… are pillars of their communities and invest time, money and energy into young people. The work you are doing is having a positive impact on young people’s lives. Your experience and drive would be hugely beneficial to children in your local area, who would be inspired by going to a school that their local football club is involved with.”

Redknapp and Milan Mandaric, his former boss at Portsmouth Football Club, are accused of colluding to conceal payments of £187,000 in a Monaco bank account. Both deny the charges.

A group of parents and teachers called the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Sporting Excellence (AESE) is campaigning for a free school in Tottenham and has partnered with the charity founded by Lord Harris, owner of Carpetright. The Harris Federation runs 13 academies and is expected to submit plans for the new free school to the Department for Education by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Tottenham has dropped its campaign to move into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, and the club is committed to its original plan for a new stadium near White Hart Lane.

A spokesman for the Harris Federation said: “We would certainly look to work closely with Tottenham Hotspur if the free school gets the go-ahead to open, wherever in the area it is located, just as we would wish to partner any major organisation in the areas our schools serve.”

Adam Davison, head of community relations at Spurs, told the Sunday Politics London show, which airs today, that the club was exploring its options. He said: “Tottenham Hotspur Football Club believes education has the potential to play an important role in the new stadium redevelopment and could bring great benefit to the wider community.

“The club has been approached by groups and organisations who are interested in exploring the opportunities on the Spurs site but is not endorsing any one proposal at this time and is keen to explore all the options before committing to anyone. All options for education provision will be considered in the context of the club’s vision and ethos, community benefit and financial viability.”

Tottenham’s deal of the week; the football family; Colombia’s ‘gay contagion’; plus Grandpa’s two-match ban

Deal of the week

• £27m: Public money now committed to keeping Spurs in Tottenham – £9m from Haringey council, plus £18m from London’s riot-recovery fund. • £2.7bn: Tax-exile Spurs owner Joe Lewis’s fortune, partly from currency trades in 1992 which helped push the pound out of the ERM and cost the Treasury £3.3bn. Spurs, controlled by offshore Enic, are “delighted by the mayor and the council … We always said we could only invest in this area if our commitment was supported by others.”

Football family news

1) Woman of the week: ex-Zimbabwe FA head Henrietta Rushwaya, arrested in Harare. Rushwaya denies running a “vast” match-fixing racket; using Robert Mugabe’s agents to “intimidate players”; and stealing items of FA property after being sacked in 2010, including four trucks and three buses. Rushwaya said last year she was moving on. “I will retrain as a pastor. I’m a born-again Henrietta.”

2) Comeback of the week: Horace Burrell, Jamaica’s FA president, banned by Fifa in October for three months for his part in the cash-for-votes scandal. Sepp: “We are shaking the tree until all bad apples have fallen to the ground.” Last week: Back in the game, named on Fifa’s 17-man Olympic committee. Burrell: “I’m humbled. I’m a servant of football in the strictest sense.”

3) Best newcomer: Rustam Emomali - son of Tajik president Emomali Rahmon, whose style was branded by a leaked US cable as “undemocratic”, “ruthless”, driven by “greed, family self-interest … cronyism and corruption” – appointed to Fifa’s 18-man development committee.

Other news

22,800: Tickets allocated to the Polish FA by Uefa for Euro 2012. 8,600: Number the Polish FA allocated to fans, with the rest for “officials and sponsors”. FA head Grzegorz Lato, who denied unrelated bribery allegations last year, told local media: “There will always be dissenting voices.”

Respect campaign

Colombia: FA vice-president Alvaro González Alzate says allegations that a referee sexually assaulted a colleague are evidence of “gay contagion”. “To be a referee in Colombia you have to be gay.” González Alzate says he believes officials are forced to perform sexual favours for each other if they want to progress. “Sure, no one presents evidence or dares to speak out, but I believe it. I’ve been around long enough to know there is nothing more contagious, no worse disease – with due respect to those who suffer it – than homosexuality.” Fifa referee Wílmar Roldán says the referees union will take action against González Alzate for being “creepy and outrageous … He must withdraw this.”

Manager news

Last week’s exits:

1) 16 January: Dinamo Tbilisi president Roman Pipia: “I have full confidence in Alex Garcia. Of course confidence needs justification, but he has time. Let’s see at the end of the season.” 30 January: Sacks him. Pipia says critics should back off. “When I was a president in Russia I fired many coaches. It’s my prerogative.”

2) 1 February, Flamengo president Patricia Amorim: “There is no truth to the internet rumours that Vanderlei Luxemburgo will be sacked [after today's game]. He is our coach, and that situation will not change today, tomorrow or later this month.” 2 February: “Situations change in football. We have removed the coach.”

Meanwhile

22: Number of coaches fired in Brazil’s top leagues in January, including Rio Verde’s Betão Alcântara. “It was weird. I put the radio on when I got in from training and it said I was sacked. In 30 years in football I could never have imagined it. I feel lost.”

Harry’s window

1 Jan: Harry Redknapp: “It’s extremely unlikely we will be doing any business in this window. I’ll stick with what I have.” Deadline: Signs Louis Saha, Ryan Nelsen; makes loan bid for Mauro Zárate, Marseille claim an “enormous” bid for Loïc Rémy; sells Roman Pavlyuchenko; loans out Sébastien Bassong, Stephen Pienaar, John Bostock and Vedran Corluka.

Player of the week

30 January: Tunisia’s Adel Chedli on his plans for the Africa Cup of Nations: “We have one goal here in Gabon: to honour our colours, and please every Tunisian. The flame is burning in us.” 1 February: Walks out over a lack of game-time. “The coach treats me like a kid.”

Best pledge

19 January: Former Real Madrid defender Carlos Diogo joins CSKA Sofia. “This is the Bulgarian Real Madrid. I had offers from Brazil, but this was the only place I wanted to be. I can tell the fans now: I’m here to make CSKA champions. I will win all their respect.” 2 February: Accepts better offer from Brazil. CSKA: “We could not keep him against his will.”

Bulat’s week

Switzerland: Lawyer Jacques Barillon says his client, Xamax owner Bulat Chagaev, is on hunger strike in prison. Chagaev, on remand for fraud, which he denies, is “angry about being denied cigarettes and the basic rights afforded to even serial killers”. A prison source told Le Matin that Chagaev was “still eating bread” to get through the strike, and “borrowing cigarettes from guards”.

Plus: Ban of the week

Brazil: Ceará’s mascot Grandpa – banned for two games for “a series of obscene gestures” at rival Ferroviário fans. Media say the incident followed a 2009 flare-up when Ferroviário’s mascot Jubaitola “tried to hump Grandpa” on the pitch. FA: “Grandpa will miss the games against Tiradentes and Guarani Juazeiro.”

Much has been made of our forthcoming matches as we continue to sit third in the table.

After Monday’s trip to Anfield, we face high-flying Newcastle at the Lane, a tricky FA Cup tie at Stevenage then the derby against Arsenal at the Emirates and United at home on March 4.

It was suggested to Kevin in Thursday’s press conference that the season might hinge on this period of matches.

“To be honest, we’re not looking at the next six weeks, we’re not looking beyond Liverpool,” said assistant boss Kevin.

“We know what we’ve got to come but we don’t look at the next games as a block and think we need to get so many points from those games.

“We’ll concentrate on the Liverpool game, prepare for that, try to get as many points as we can from it and whatever happens, we’ll move onto the next match and deal with it in the same way.

“Liverpool is an important game because they are one of our rivals and we don’t want them to gain any ground on us, but our season won’t be defined by it.”

Gareth was named Barclays Player of the Month for January on Friday after a fine month highlighted by a superb strike at City and a double in Tuesday night’s 3-1 win against Wigan.

In the same month, he was the only Premier League player to be named in the UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year for 2011, the first time a Spurs and a Welsh player has made it into that line-up.

“Gareth’s brilliant, a top, top player, one of the best around at the moment,” said Ledley, who returned to action on Tuesday night.

“He’s unstoppable when he’s in full flow.”

Ledley explained that Gareth’s supreme fitness levels allow him to take pressure off the rest of the team, especially late in the game.

“He can do it when a lot of players are tired,” added the skipper.

“You know he’s going to get the ball, knock it and run past players.

“As defenders we can sit back late on, he picks the ball up in our half and just takes off. It’s great for the other players in the team.”

Answer a simple question and you could be off to White Hart Lane for this enticing Premier League fixture

Liverpool exude an air of conviction now that makes it hard to recall that they were defeated at Bolton recently. Those memories are all but erased following progress in the Carling Cup and FA Cup. However, Tottenham, 11 points better off in the league, may reintroduce some anxiety to Anfield. Their firepower has been greater than that of Kenny Dalglish’s side. But Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt have recently been at their best and Liverpool have not missed Luis Suárez too badly during a now completed suspension. Kevin McCarra

Venue Anfield

Tickets Sold out

Last season Liverpool 0 Tottenham 2

Referee M Oliver

This season’s matches 12 Y27, R4, 2.58 cards per game

Odds Liverpool 11-10 Tottenham 23-10 Draw 12-5

Liverpool

Subs from Doni, Coátes, Kelly, Carragher, Rodríguez, Flanagan, Spearing, Aurélio, Shelvey, Bellamy, Kuyt

Doubtful None

Injured Lucas (knee, Jun)

Suspended None

Form guide WLDLWD

Disciplinary record Y35 R3

Leading scorer Bellamy 6

Tottenham

Subs from Gomes, Cudicini, Rose, Nelsen, Dawson, Livermore, Lennon, Kranjcar, Defoe, Giovani, Saha, Khumalo, Dawkins

Doubtful King (knee), Walker (groin), Lennon (hamstring), Defoe (hamstring), Van der Vaart (calf), Adebayor (hamstring)

Injured Huddlestone (ankle, Mar), Gallas (calf, unknown)

Suspended None Form guide WLDWWD Disciplinary record Y26 R1 Leading scorer Bale, Adebayor 9

Match pointers

• Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Anfield last season ended a run of 16 Premier League away games at Liverpool without victory

• Liverpool have only had fewer points after 11 home fixtures in two of their previous 19 Premier League seasons, although they remain undefeated at their own stadium this campaign

• Should he be selected for Spurs, Gareth Bale will make his 100th Premier League appearance

• Stewart Downing has had more shots without scoring than any other top-flight player this season (45)

Topping the bill are exclusive interviews with new arrivals Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha, who both underline just how excited they are to join the club.

We’ve had post-match reaction from the FA Cup win at Watford and Tuesday’s victory over Wigan in the Premier League.

So if you haven’t tuned in this week, catch up with the thoughts of Rafa van der Vaart, Carlo Cudicini, Danny Rose, Kevin Bond and Gareth Bale!

That’s not all – we’ve also a special package of all January’s Premier League goals plus Aaron Lennon out and about in the community.

COMING SOON…

Look out for Scott Parker, Jake Livermore and Kevin Bond’s thoughts on Liverpool – coming Monday. We’ve also Jake attending a ‘Primary Enterprise’ session at Honilands Primary School in Enfield. There’s also a ‘Day In the Life’ feature with Michael Dawson on the way!

STILL SHOWING…

The first our new ‘Introducing…’ series with Souleymane Coulibaly plus Aaron’s thoughts on the team.

We show clips of most interviews including training footage on Facebook, @SpursOfficial on Twitter and on the freeplayer on the homepage of this website.

DON’T FORGET…

Interviews with Spurs fans DJ Norman Jay MBE and Mathew Horne of ‘Gavin & Stacey’ fame plus BBC sports presenter Clare Balding are still available.

SPURS TV ONLINE – HALF-SEASON PASS!

There’s never been a better time to subscribe to Spurs TV Online – and we now have a special half-season offer of six months subscription for just £19.99!

This is your chance to get closer to your team for excellent value from the comfort of your own home, from anywhere in the world!

- Live commentary from all Barclays Premier League and FA Cup matches.

- Highlights from all first-team matches plus action and reaction from Spurs XI and NextGen fixtures.

- All the pre-match and post-match views that you want from Harry, the players and coaching staff, direct from the tunnel or Spurs Lodge.

- Regular training footage.

- Behind-the-scenes features.

- Celebrity features – recent interviews with Clare Balding, Mat Horne, Norman Jay, Jonathan Trott, John H Stracey.

- We’ve had approaching 200 interviews since our first match the of season at Hearts on August 25.

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The award caps an outstanding month for the flying Welshman.

Gareth scored one of the goals of the season, let alone the month, in our agonising 3-2 defeat at Manchester City on January 22 when he hit as first-time curler from 25 yards over Joe Hart and into the top corner.

He then scored twice in Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Wigan at the Lane.

“It’s always nice for it to be recognised when you’ve been playing well,” said Gareth.

“The team has been playing well and I’m just happy to be playing my part in that.”

It’s the second time Gareth has won the prestigious award after being named Barclays Player of the Month in April, 2010.

January’s award for Gareth follows a club double when Harry Redknapp and Scott Parker won the Barclays Manager and Player of the Month respectively in November.

Gareth was also named in the UEFA.com users Team of the Year for 2011 last month.