Overview

• The A-League club ended the two-year contract by mutual consent after Costa told officials there was no end in sight to the issues stopping his return.
• Sydney had granted the 35-year-old more than two months to resolve legal and personal matters in Brazil before agreeing to part ways.
• Globo Esporte reported court papers from Porto Alegre’s 6ª Family Court showing a judge-signed warrant with a possible 30-day sentence over about $140,000 in unpaid alimony, a claim not confirmed by Costa’s lawyers.
• The exit opens a fifth foreign-player slot that Sydney can fill in the January transfer window, with the new season scheduled to start on October 17.
• Coach Ufuk Talay thanked Costa for his contributions, and the player issued an apology to supporters in a farewell statement.