Soccer-Former assistant accused of leaking Van Basten conditions

AMSTERDAM, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The saga around Marco van Basten's health issues continues unabated with his former assistant at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar being accused of leaking sensitive information about his condition to the media. Alex Pastoor was supposed to swap roles with Van Basten after the former European Footballer of the Year said he could no longer deal with the stress of the job but is now accused of being the source of newspaper leaks. "I know it for sure," said the club's technical director Earnest Stewart on Dutch television in the latest twist in the saga. Pastoor left the club on Thursday, ostensibly because he could not agree terms over his new role but AZ have now said he departed because of doubts over his integrity. Pastoor said he was seeking legal assistance to try and get his old job as assistant coach back. The saga started last month when Van Basten took a surprise leave of absence, just weeks after joining AZ on a two-year contract. The club cited medical issues as the reason but Dutch media reported in more detail he was battling heart palpitations caused by stress. It was then announced that Van Basten, who turns 50 next month, would be returning to the job after missing two league matches in which assistants Pastoor and Dennis Haar took charge. On Tuesday, Van Basten announced that he was battling stress and would never take a major managerial role again, adding he wanted to stay on at AZ and had negotiated a deal to swap role with Pastoor. Just under 48 hours later, Pastoor left with AZ announcing they made an improved offer to him but he did not agree to it. "It's to do with the principle of integrity," Stewart told a Dutch television football programme on Friday. "I never said Alex Pastoor was the leak but I think he was involved in the leaking of the information. I spoke to him about that. It is very disappointing especially when you have trust in someone." Pastoor, 47, has dismissed the allegation, calling it a "huge insult" and is now demanding his old job back. The club will host Dutch league front-runners PEC Zwolle on Sunday with Haar and Van Basten set to be on the bench. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)