Spanish football coach Roberto Moreno was dismissed from FC Sochi on 1 September, and over four months later, a striking reason for his departure has come to light. According to reports, Moreno allegedly relied excessively on artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, for virtually every aspect of team management. This AI dependency is said to have been one of the main factors behind his dismissal.
The 48-year-old Moreno is a recognised figure in Spanish football, having briefly managed the Spain national team in 2019 and previously served as an assistant coach at Barcelona. Last season, Sochi languished at the bottom of the Russian Premier League table, prompting the club to relieve him of his duties.
Former Sochi CEO Andre Orlov told Spanish daily Diario AS and BeIN Sports that Moreno had turned ChatGPT into his principal “work tool.” The AI-powered chatbot was reportedly used to plan everything from matchday line-ups to substitution timing.
“Everything was planned via ChatGPT,” Orlov said, recalling one of Sochi’s longest journeys to Khabarovsk. “The AI-generated travel schedule showed players would go 28 hours without sleep. While some adjustments were made after I raised concerns, Moreno largely followed the AI’s timetable.”
Orlov added that Moreno even used ChatGPT for transfer market decisions. When seeking a striker to bolster the attack, the club considered Vladimir Pisarsky, Pavel Meleshin, and Artur Shushenachev. Moreno reportedly fed player data from platforms such as Wyscout into ChatGPT, allowing the AI to recommend the most suitable candidate.
Ultimately, Sochi signed Shushenachev from Kazakhstan, but the move failed to deliver results. During the 2024–25 season, Shushenachev played 13 matches, scoring only 2 goals and registering 2 assists. He is currently at FC Aktobe in Kazakhstan.
FC Sochi’s poor start to the current season—earning only 1 point in 7 matches—led to Moreno’s sacking. Orlov commented,
“ChatGPT is a helpful tool, of course. But Moreno made it the central element of his management.”
Moreno’s career included working as Luis Enrique’s assistant at Roma (2011–12) and Barcelona (2014–17), before joining the Spain national team in 2018. He briefly acted as interim head coach in Enrique’s absence in 2019 and later assumed full responsibilities. Under Moreno, Spain qualified for the final stage of Euro 2020. However, upon Enrique’s return, Moreno was removed from the coaching staff and described as “untrustworthy” and “ambitious.”
The following table summarises Moreno’s AI-dependent decisions at FC Sochi and their outcomes:
| Area of Decision | AI Usage | Outcome/Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday Line-up | ChatGPT | Team performance below expectations |
| Travel Schedule | ChatGPT | Players expected to endure 28 hours without sleep |
| Player Transfers | ChatGPT + Wyscout | Shushenachev signed but limited impact |
| Tactical Adjustments | ChatGPT | Over-reliance led to questionable match strategies |
Moreno’s tenure at Sochi underscores the potential and limitations of AI in professional sports management, highlighting the enduring importance of human judgment alongside technological tools.