MADRID (AP) The Spanish football league has backed down from a threat to go on strike over a bill that would eliminate a tax break for high-earning foreign players.

League president Jose Luis Astiazaran said Friday that a committee will be formed instead to negotiate with the government over the proposal, part of the draft budget for 2010. If the bill passes it would not be retroactive and would not affect high-earning players already in the league, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. It would only apply to those signed after Jan. 1. (MORE)

LONDON (AP) Liverpool needs to find a way to overcome the likely absence of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard or it could lose another must-win game against Birmingham on Monday.

Liverpool's reliance on the pair has been exposed by their continual injuries this season, leaving their team on verge of Champions League elimination and nine points off the top of the Premier League after just 11 games. (MORE)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of Manchester United's meeting with Premier League leader Chelsea on Sunday because of what the club suspects is a back injury.

The England defender has sat out the defending champions' past three games with a calf problem but manager Alex Ferguson says the injury may have been misdiagnosed. (MORE)

FRANKFURT (AP) Thomas Mueller of Bayern Munich and Aaron Hunt of Werder Bremen were called up on Friday for Germany's friendlies next week against Chile and Ivory Coast.

The midfielders have not previously played for the national team. Mueller will be in the squad only for Wednesday's match against Ivory Coast because he is also in the under-21 team set to play Northern Ireland next Friday, coach Joachim Loew said. (MORE)