Thomas Selner

Veteran: “Football is my life”

Selner as a referee at the Bruno Pezzey tournament with Lothar Matthäus (left).

(Bild: Krug Daniel/KRUG/Krug Daniel sen.)

Outfitter and DJ for the star kickers, "soul" of the legendary "gang magic" around the Salzburg "bull" and on a first-name basis with illustrious names: Thomas Selner from Lehen, 67 years old, has already left his mark on Salzburg soccer.

His anecdotes about the magic of the Salzburg "Stier" could fill books. After all, he was there at the start in 1982. But tournament "soul" Thomas Selner has not only left his mark on the traditional event (2 to 6 January 2025). It all started in his childhood bedroom.

"I saw the scoreboard in the Lehen stadium from there," recalls the now 67-year-old, who was enrolled in the Austria youth team by his aunt. His highlight as a footballer was winning the Austrian junior championship title, to which Selner contributed the decisive header goal. But he also showed his brains in his professional life. After an apprenticeship at a sports store in the city center, he started working in the warehouse of the manufacturer Puma and took over the management at the age of 22.

This career leap opened one door, but also closed another. "I dreamed of becoming a disc jockey," laughs the jack-of-all-trades, who DJed under the name "Tomaseli" at dance club V.I.P. City. It was there that he met his wife Uschi and many footballers who came and went.

Selner as DJ "Tomaseli".

(Bild: zVg)

Knows the ÖFB stars Konrad Laimer and Xaver Schlager from earlier days: Thomas Selner.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas/Kronen Zeitung)

Over the years, Selner has not only supplied many jerseys, but also collected them. Like the one from Heimo Pfeifenberger with a personal dedication,

(Bild: Sebastian Steinbichler)

To this day, he is on a first-name basis with the big names in (domestic) soccer. As a senior employee, he equipped the ÖFB national team around Heimo Pfeifenberger and Wolfgang Feiersinger. Or the successful Sturm team with Ivica Vastic. In the soccer association, where he has worked for 25 years, he took on several tasks. For example, as the referee's equipment manager or for the national team.

"Proud of my sons"
Speaking of referees: Selner has taken to the whistle himself many times. Six times, for example, at the traditional Bruno Pezzey tournament with legends such as Lothar Matthäus, Hans Krankl and Paul Breitner. "Breitner had his own rules", he once had to put a German world and European champion in his place.

When Selner talks about all the anecdotes and experiences, his eyes light up. "Football is my life," is how the 67-year-old sums it up. But the multi-talent is more proud of his four sons and six grandchildren ("Unfortunately, none of them play football"). Or when someone asks him about his beloved "bull". "When someone tells me that they played there and have fond memories of it, it makes me happy."