Former Spain head coach Roberto Moreno was reportedly sacked from his most recent coaching role at Russian club FC Sochi following concerns over his heavy reliance on artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT, in team management and decision-making.
Moreno, 48, who took charge of Sochi in 2023, is said to have increasingly depended on the AI programme during the 2024/2025 season, a development that allegedly caused unease within the club’s hierarchy and playing squad.
Sochi were relegated from the Russian Premier League in May 2024 after Moreno’s first season, and although the club later secured promotion back to the top flight, issues reportedly intensified during their time in the First League.
According to the club’s former sporting director, Andrei Orlov, Moreno’s use of the technology sometimes ignored practical realities, including player welfare.
Daily Mail reported that Orlov recalled a trip to FC SKA-Khabarovsk in March 2025, where a travel and training schedule generated with the help of ChatGPT allegedly left players without sleep for 28 hours.
“I looked at the presentation and saw that the players couldn’t sleep for 28 hours,” Orlov was quoted as saying. “I asked him when the players were supposed to sleep.”
Although the plan was eventually shelved, Orlov said the incident contributed to growing discomfort among players, who questioned early-morning training schedules and the lack of flexibility in Moreno’s methods.
Orlov also revealed that the former Spain coach relied on ChatGPT during the 2024 summer transfer window to assess striker options. The AI reportedly recommended Kazakh forward Artur Shushenachev, who failed to score in 10 appearances before being sold the following summer.
He added that dissatisfaction spread across the dressing room, with both local and foreign players losing confidence in Moreno’s ideas, citing a lack of empathy and communication.
Sochi returned to the Russian Premier League last summer, but Moreno managed just seven matches in the top flight, earning only one point before his dismissal.
Moreno’s growing dependence on artificial intelligence, rather than human judgement, played a key role in his exit, with club officials believing his methods had moved away from “common sense.”
Moreno previously managed clubs including Granada and Monaco and briefly led the Spanish national team in 2019 after Luis Enrique stepped aside due to a family tragedy. Although Moreno guided Spain to qualification for Euro 2020, Enrique later returned and did not retain him as assistant, accusing him of disloyalty.
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