Spanish coach Roberto Moreno was dismissed from Russian club FC Sochi on 1 September, and recent revelations suggest a highly unusual reason behind his departure: his heavy reliance on artificial intelligence. Sources indicate that Moreno reportedly used ChatGPT to manage nearly every aspect of the team, from selecting match line-ups to planning player substitutions, making his AI dependence one of the primary factors in his dismissal.
Moreno, 48, is a well-known figure in Spanish football, having served as head coach of Spain’s national team in 2019 and previously working at Barcelona in various coaching roles. Last season, FC Sochi languished at the bottom of the Russian Premier League table, prompting the club’s management to terminate his contract.
According to former FC Sochi director Andre Orlov, who spoke to Spanish daily Diario AS and beIN Sports, Moreno had made ChatGPT his “main working tool.” Orlov revealed that the AI chatbot was used not only for team selection and tactical decisions but also for logistics and travel planning. For instance, during a trip to Khabarovsk, an AI-generated itinerary required players to endure 28 consecutive hours of travel without sleep. Although minor adjustments were made after management raised concerns, the AI-generated schedule was largely implemented. Orlov recalled, “I asked him, ‘Everything is fine, but when will the players sleep?’”
Moreno’s AI use extended to transfer decisions, particularly when seeking a ‘number nine’ striker. FC Sochi had shortlisted Vladimir Pisarsky, Pavel Meleshin, and Artur Shushenachev, and Moreno allegedly fed scouting data from platforms like Wyscout into ChatGPT to determine the optimal signing. Ultimately, Shushenachev from Kazakhstan was recruited but made minimal impact, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists in 13 matches during the 2024–25 season. He has since moved to FC Aktobe.
FC Sochi accumulated just 1 point from their first 7 matches of the season, sealing Moreno’s fate. Orlov commented, “ChatGPT is a useful tool, of course, but Moreno made it the central component of his coaching, which was excessive.”
Moreno previously served as Luis Enrique’s assistant at Roma (2011–12) and Barcelona (2014–17), later joining the Spain national team in 2018. He briefly held full head-coach duties during Enrique’s absence, helping Spain qualify for the Euro 2020 finals. However, by the end of 2019, Enrique returned and replaced Moreno, describing the long-serving assistant as “ambitious and untrustworthy.”
FC Sochi: Moreno’s AI Applications Overview
| Area of Use | AI Application | Outcome / Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Match Line-ups | Fully AI-assisted selection | Simplified decision-making, minor errors possible |
| Player Substitutions | Timing & strategy via AI | Mixed results in-game |
| Travel Planning | Long trips scheduled by AI | Players faced 28-hour consecutive travel, minor adjustments applied |
| Transfers | Player scouting and selection | Shushenachev recruited, limited impact on performance |