The criminal trial of six former executives of FIFA's former marketing agency ISL will begin in March, a Swiss court said.

The six accused are facing charges including embezzlement, fraud, fraudulent bankruptcy, harming creditors and the falsification of documents.

The criminal court in the Swiss canton of Zug, where ISL was based, said on its Web site (www.zug.ch) that the trial would start on March 11.

The International Sport and Leisure (ISL) group managed the marketing and television rights of world soccer's governing body FIFA for more than 20 years before its collapse in May 2001 with estimated debts of around $300 million.

Former partners also included the International Olympic Committee and the ATP men's tennis tour.

ISL's former chairman Jean-Marie Weber is the only defendant to have so far been named by the court.

State prosecutors have called for prison sentences of between three and four-and-a-half years.

The court case is expected to reveal whether ISL paid bribes to high-ranking sports officials in order to secure lucrative contracts.

The criminal investigation leading up to the trial was started when FIFA filed a fraud complaint against two of the six accused following ISL's collapse.

FIFA later said they were no longer interested in pursuing the case but prosecutors continued with the investigation, eventually filing indictments in March 2007.

The Zug prosecutors have said that the charges relate only to executives of ISL or its parent group ISMM, and that no former or current FIFA officials have been charged.

The court said on Friday that verdicts were expected to be announced in the summer.