Former Spain national team head coach Roberto Moreno is believed to have been dismissed from his most recent managerial position after an excessive dependence on the artificial intelligence programme ChatGPT led to him allegedly overlooking basic footballing sense. The 48-year-old Catalan took charge at Russian side FC Sochi in 2023, but his tenure became increasingly defined by a controversial shift towards algorithmic decision-making.
A Downward Spiral in Russia
Moreno's time at Sochi began with the club in the Russian Premier League, but his first season ended in relegation in May 2024. As the team struggled in the First League during the 2024-25 campaign, club officials grew concerned that the coach was progressively substituting his own judgement for outputs from the adaptive AI software. This technological pivot is now cited as a central factor in his eventual departure.
The Bizarre Khabarovsk Trip Plan
One of the most startling incidents was detailed by the club's former sporting director, Andrei Orlov, in an interview with Sports Russia. He described preparations for an away fixture against FC SKA-Khabarovsk in March 2024. Orlov alleged that Moreno had devised the entire travel and training schedule using ChatGPT.
"When we were preparing for the trip to Khabarovsk, Robert said, 'I have everything planned. I've entered all the trip parameters into ChatGPT,'" Orlov claimed, via Portuguese outlet A Bola. Upon reviewing the AI-generated plan, Orlov discovered a critical flaw: it scheduled the players to go without sleep for 28 hours.
"I looked at the presentation and saw that the players couldn't sleep for 28 hours. I asked: 'Robert, that's all very well, but when are the lads going to sleep?'" Although the sleep-deprivation regimen was ultimately scrapped, the episode sowed deep unease and a loss of confidence in Moreno's methods among the playing squad.
Failed Transfer Recommendation
The reliance on AI extended to player recruitment. Orlov revealed that during the 2024-25 summer transfer window, Moreno used ChatGPT to analyse data and choose between three striker targets. The programme recommended signing Kazakh forward Artur Shushenachev. The club followed the advice, but the move proved disastrous; Shushenachev failed to score in 10 appearances and was sold to FC Aktobe the following summer.
Erosion of Trust and Empathy
Orlov framed ChatGPT as a potential supplementary tool but argued Moreno allowed it to become a primary crutch. "An additional tool, why not?" Orlov stated. "But for Moreno, ChatGPT ended up becoming one of his main tools."
This approach reportedly fractured the dressing room. "In the end, the Russian core of the squad was very unhappy with Moreno, and the foreign players no longer trusted his ideas either," Orlov explained. "He showed no empathy for the assistants and players, and people felt that." Player discontent was further fuelled by perplexing decisions, such as early-morning training sessions that lacked clear rationale.
A Brief Return to the Top Flight
Despite the turmoil, Sochi managed to win promotion back to the Russian Premier League in the summer of 2024. However, Moreno's final chapter was brief and unsuccessful. He oversaw just seven matches at the start of the new top-flight season, securing only a single point before his reported sacking.
Moreno's Coaching Career Context
Roberto Moreno arrived in Russia after holding roles at European clubs like Granada and Monaco. His most prominent position came in 2019 when he temporarily led the Spanish national team. He took over after manager Luis Enrique stepped away to be with his daughter during her final battle with bone cancer.
Moreno successfully guided Spain to qualification for Euro 2020. However, when Enrique returned, he chose not to reinstate Moreno as his assistant, publicly labelling him 'disloyal' for reportedly attempting to retain the head coach role for the tournament. "I have no reason to criticise him professionally," Enrique said at the time. "As far as the personal goes, I had no doubts until the words said one thing and the actions said another." This episode foreshadowed the ambitious yet ultimately flawed approach that later manifested in his reliance on AI at Sochi.
