Fiorentina midfielder Fabio Liverani has failed to agree a new deal with the club and is now a free agent alongside Czech Republic defender Tomas Ujfalusi, the Serie A side said.
Liverani is expected to join Palermo this week. The 32-year-old arrived in Florence after moving from Lazio in 2006 and has played a significant role in the team's rise from relegation strugglers to Champions League qualifiers.
However, Liverani doesn't see a future for himself with Fiorentina and the club have confirmed that he is heading for the exit.
"Having not reached a financial agreement with Liverani, all that is left to do is to thank the player for his precious contribution during his two years in the Viola shirt," a statement read.
McCarthy's no-show
South Africa striker Benni McCarthy failed to arrive for the first day of preparations ahead of Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in Abuja, drawing criticism from his Blackburn Rovers team-mate Aaron Mokoena.
"It's always Benni, Benni, Benni. I do not know his reasons for not showing up but I have confidence in our players to beat Nigeria with or without Benni," Mokoena told a news conference.
South Africa coach Joel Santana took a more conciliatory tone, saying: "McCarthy is an important player. Please give me a little more time to sort this problem out. I have only just been told of it and I will have a solution on McCarthy by midweek."
O'Shea stays
Manchester United defender John O'Shea is determined to fight for his place at Old Trafford after playing his part in this season's double triumph.
The 27-year-old Ireland international added a Champions League winners' medal to his third Premier League success in Moscow last Wednesday.
O'Shea wants to win a regular place in the starting line-up after half of his appearances this season came from the bench.
He said: "You just have to get on with it. The club has so many players. Leaving is crossing my mind a lot of the time, but then I think 'where do you go when you leave a team like that'?
"That's an even bigger question. For the time being, I will stay where I am."
Maniche unsure
Portugal midfielder Maniche, who spent the last five months on loan with Inter, does not expect to complete the year remaining on his contract with Atletico Madrid. The 30-year-old fell out with Atletico coach Javier Aguirre last season.
"As Aguirre is going to continue I can't return," Maniche told sports daily Marca.
"The best thing is to end my link with Atletico. I would like to have it resolved this week. My agent is going to Madrid and I hope we'll find a solution."
Defiant Iraqi
Iraq's Nashat Akram is refusing to give up hope of a dream move to the English Premier League, despite being denied a work permit by the British government.
The midfield playmaker, likened to former world player of the year Zinedine Zidane by his former coach Egil Olsen, is hoping Manchester City can pull some strings and take him to England before the start of next season.
"I want to play in England, so much. It's the best league in the world," Akram told Reuters.
"I'm good enough, I trust myself, I believe in myself."
News that Akram had signed a contract with City was widely celebrated in violence-torn Iraq, where posters of him were pasted on walls.
Bolivia reprieve
Bolivia's soccer team was given a reprieve from what it calls soccer apartheid when FIFA yesterday suspended its ban on internationals played at high altitude.
FIFA had effectively prohibited Bolivian capital La Paz and Ecuadorean capital Quito from staging World Cup qualifiers because of the altitude.
The only exceptions were if visiting players were given one week to adapt to games over 2,750 metres and 15 days for games over 3,000 metres.
That FIFA ruling caused an outcry in the Andean nation who traditionally play home matches in La Paz, the world's highest international venue at 3,600 metres above sea level.
Leeds no failure
Manager Gary McAllister said Leeds's season has not been a 'failure', despite the play-off final defeat to Doncaster.
Leeds battled through their pre-season 15-point deduction to reach the play-offs, winning 27 games in the process.
"The facts say we didn't win promotion," McAllister said.
"But with 27 wins, just eight defeats and second highest scorers, it can't be described as a failure."
The West Yorkshire club would have been automatically promoted in second place if they had not been docked the 15 points for breaking rules on insolvency.
Except the 1992 Charity Shield victory over Liverpool, Leeds's last winner at Wembley was 36 years ago - from Allan Clarke in the 1972 FA Cup final win over Arsenal.