All eyes on Germany as European soccer leagues lobby governments to resume play.

Quarantine rules will make it hard for league to start says Austrian soccer chief

SHOWS: LINZ, AUSTRIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

VARIOUS OF LASK TEAM TRAINING AFTER CORONA LOCKDOWN IS LOOSENED VIENNA, AUSTRIA (MAY 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 2.

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CHRISTIAN EBENAUER, SAYING: "We worked very hard in the last few weeks and had received positive signals from the vice chancellor and sports minister that everything would be done we to enable the Tipico Bundesliga again.

So we had high expectations of the sports and health ministry until it very soon was made clear that if a single player tested positive, then everyone on his team and, in the case of a match, the opposing team would have to spend 14 days in quarantine.

This was of course a slap in the face and was a huge disappointment.

Because it is not possible for the league to operate with this requirement." 3.

WHITE FLASH 4.

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CHRISTIAN EBENAUER, SAYING: "We are thinking and working exhaustively on this and looking to see if there are other possibilities we can present them to the sports ministry and health ministry.

There were positive signals from the health ministry itself and then there is of course the hope that we will get the chance to play again.

But the most important thing is that it isn't just about being able to complete this league season but the next one and the next season start will be there before we know it." 5.

WHITE FLASH 6.

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CHRISTIAN EBENAUER, SAYING: "We mustn't forget that every phantom game costs every club money.

Clubs live from income from spectators and sponsors.

Here in Austria the average budget is 47 percent from sponsors, then comes ticket sales, also merchandising and hospitality.

These are very important factors.

In Austria, in contrast to England or Germany, the television income is only around 17 percent.

We need matches with spectators to be able to survive, so there is, of course, a difference between the clubs, as to whether phantom games actually make any sense or not and above all for how long they can survive on phantom games alone." 7.

WHITE FLASH 8.

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CHRISTIAN EBENAUER, SAYING: "The themes are pretty much the same in all the countries where football is about to be played, the main issue is the question quarantine/no quarantine and an awareness that that it won't work if the players have to go into quarantine." 9.

WHITE FLASH 10.

(SOUNDBITE) (German) AUSTRIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CHRISTIAN EBENAUER, SAYING: "It is the same for all of the countries.

The key thing now is what Germany decides, whether the whole team must go into quarantine or not, I think our government will be paying very close attention to what Germany does and I think it is similar in Switzerland, that is also the discussion: should the whole team have to go into quarantine and, if so, does it make sense to restart under these conditions." SALZBURG, AUSTRIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11.

VARIOUS OF RED BULL SALZBURG TRAINING STORY: Austria's professional soccer league will not be able to restart following the coronavirus outbreak if the government insists that a whole team must be quarantined in the case of a player testing positive, it's chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday (May 5).

Christian Ebenauer said the government's decision was a "slap in the face" to the Austrian Bundesliga's hopes of completing this season or even starting the next one.

Ebenauer said the dilemma of how to react when a player tests positive is one of the trickiest facing leagues around Europe as they attempt to start again.

Austria began easing lockdown measures last month and the country's Bundesliga clubs were allowed to go back to training on April 22, raising hopes that the league could soon restart -- albeit without spectators.

The Bundesliga's medical guidelines proposed that a player who tested positive would be separated from the squad but that his team mates could continue training provided they tested negative.

"We had worked very hard in the last few weeks and had received positive signals from the sports minister so that we could start playing the Tipico Bundesliga again....we had high expectations from the sports and health ministry," he said in an interview.

"But then they told us that if a single player tested positive, then everyone on his team and, in the case of a match, the opposing team would have to spend 14 days in quarantine.

That was a knockout blow, it was a huge disappointment.

"It is not possible for the league to operate with this requirement." He explained that if two teams had to spend 14 days each in quarantine, the players would also have to train again before they could play another match, and this would play havoc with the fixture list.

Ebenauer said negotiations would continue with the government, however.

"We are thinking and working exhaustively on this and looking to see if there are other possibilities and present them to the sports ministry and health ministry....we still have hope that we will get the chance to play again." After talking to colleagues around Europe, he said it was a recurring theme.

"The themes ae pretty much the same in all the countries where football is about to be played, the main issue is the question quarantine/no quarantine and an awareness that it won't work if the players have to go into quarantine," he said.

"That seems everywhere to be the key question and now we are all waiting to see what Germany decides, whether the whole team must go into quarantine or not, I think our government will be paying very close attention to what Germany does." He added that so-called phantom games were far from ideal in Austria, where 47 percent of the average club budget comes from sponsors and ticket sales and only 17 percent from television.

"We mustn't forget that every phantom match costs every club more," he said.

Clubs live from income from spectators and sponsors." "So there is, of course, a difference between the clubs, as to whether phantom games actually make any sense or not and above all for how long they can survive on phantom games alone."