Croatian newspaper regionalexpress.hr is reporting today that Istra 1961 has terminated the contract of Armend Alimi.

The reasons given by the newspaper include Alimi’s unacceptable behavior in the locker room and bad performance on the field.  Apparently, Alimi’s behavior irritated the fans, coaches, and teammates so manager Igor Pamić decided to terminate his contract.  Alimi joined Istra 1961 in 2009 from FK Milano and played regularly since his arrival but now leaves the club on bad terms.

Alimi did not play during a friendly this past Saturday and rumors started to swirl that he was done at Istra 1961.  Today, after two years, Alimi is no longer an Istra 1961 player.  Armend made a total of 60 league appearances for the Croatian club and scored four goals.  He played as an attacking minded midfielder and was also the free kick taker for the club.  His last and final game for Istra 1961 occurred on 5 November 2011 when he played all 90 minutes in a 1:0 loss against Cibalia.

With his contract being terminated, Alimi becomes a free agent and can now negotiate with other teams.  Istra 1961 was scheduled to have three more games in league play before the winter break in Croatia which lasts for over two months.  Alimi will turn 24 years old next month and has also been capped nine times for the Macedonian national team.  However, his last appearance for Macedonia came during a friendly against China on 22 December 2010.