Swiss trial over 2006 World Cup delayed to end of April

The trial in Switzerland of four former football officials over suspicions that Germany bought votes to obtain the 2006 World Cup was delayed on Tuesday until April 27.

Swiss ex-FIFA secretary general Urs Linsi, 70, and former German Football Association (DFB) presidents Wolfgang Niersbach, 69, and Theo Zwanziger, 74, and 78-year-old former DFB general secretary Horst R. Schmidt, were to face trial at Switerland's Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.

Linsi, Schmidt and Zwanziger are charged with fraud, while Niersbach is charged with complicity in fraud.

On the opening day on 11 March, only Linsi and Niersbach were present in Bellinzona - the other two having produced medical certificates - and the case was postponed indefinitely.

"Suspension of proceedings," the court said Tuesday on its website.

The suspects are accused by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office of concealing from the DFB the true destination of a transfer of €6.7 million ($7.6 million today), paid in 2005 by the organising committee to former Adidas boss, the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus, via FIFA.

All four defendants deny the charges.