FORMER SPAIN COACH ROBERTO MORENO SACKED BY FC SOCHI OVER HEAVY AI RELIANCE
Read Time:1 Minute, 47 Second
Former Spain head coach Roberto Moreno has reportedly been dismissed from his role at Russian club FC Sochi amid concerns over his heavy reliance on artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, for team management and decision-making.
Moreno, 48, who took charge of Sochi in 2023, increasingly used AI tools during the 2024/2025 season, raising unease among both the club’s hierarchy and players.
Sochi were relegated from the Russian Premier League in May 2024 after Moreno’s first season but later secured promotion back to the top flight. However, issues reportedly escalated during their time in the First League.
According to former sporting director Andrei Orlov, Moreno’s AI-based plans often ignored practical realities, including player welfare. Orlov cited a March 2025 trip to FC SKA-Khabarovsk, where a training and travel schedule generated by ChatGPT left players without sleep for 28 hours.
“I looked at the presentation and saw that the players couldn’t sleep for 28 hours,” Orlov told the Daily Mail. “I asked him when the players were supposed to sleep.” The plan was ultimately shelved, but the incident contributed to growing dissatisfaction, with players questioning early-morning training and inflexible methods.
Orlov added that Moreno also used ChatGPT during the 2024 summer transfer window to evaluate striker options. The AI recommended Kazakh forward Artur Shushenachev, who failed to score in 10 appearances before being sold the following summer.
Dissatisfaction reportedly spread through the dressing room, with both local and foreign players losing confidence in Moreno, 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. Club officials cited his increasing reliance on AI over human judgment as a key reason for his exit, saying his methods had strayed from “common sense.”
Moreno previously managed Granada and Monaco, and briefly led the Spanish national team in 2019 after Luis Enrique stepped aside due to a family tragedy. While he guided Spain to Euro 2020 qualification, Enrique later returned, choosing not to retain him and accusing him of disloyalty.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0