Football Manager Roberto Moreno Sacked Over ChatGPT Reliance at FC Sochi
- tech360.tv
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Former Spain head coach Roberto Moreno was dismissed from his recent coaching position at Russian club FC Sochi. His sacking stemmed from an over-reliance on the artificial intelligence programme ChatGPT, which reportedly led him to ignore common sense.
Moreno, 48, took over FC Sochi in 2023. The club was relegated from the Russian Premier League in May 2024 at the end of his first season.
During the 2024-25 campaign in the First League, club officials noted Moreno’s increasing use of the technology in his coaching methods. Former sporting director Andrei Orlov detailed instances of Moreno's AI dependence to Russian outlet Sports Russia.
Orlov alleged a particularly unusual event during an away trip to FC SKA-Khabarovsk last March. Moreno reportedly created a travel and training programme with ChatGPT that advised the squad go without sleep for 28 hours.
“When we were preparing for the trip to Khabarovsk, Robert said, via A Bola: ‘I have everything planned. I’ve entered all the trip parameters into ChatGPT,’” Orlov claimed. “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 extreme sleep deprivation exercise did not proceed, the decision caused unease within the team. Orlov added that players "didn’t understand why we had to wake up at 5 a.m. to train at 7 a.m."
Moreno also reportedly used the technology to select striker targets during the 2024-25 summer transfer window. After analysing player data, ChatGPT recommended Artur Shushenachev.
However, the Kazakh forward failed to score in 10 games before being sold the following summer to FC Aktobe. Orlov stated, "An additional tool, why not? But for Moreno, ChatGPT ended up becoming one of his main tools."
Orlov further noted, "The Russian core of the squad was very unhappy with Moreno, and the foreign players no longer trusted his ideas either. He showed no empathy for the assistants and players and people felt that."
FC Sochi won promotion back to Russia's top flight last summer. Moreno oversaw just seven matches in the Russian Premier League at the start of his final campaign, securing only one point before his dismissal.
Moreno previously held positions at European clubs including Granada and Monaco. He briefly led the Spanish national team in 2019 after then-manager Luis Enrique stepped away during his daughter’s battle with bone cancer.
Moreno secured qualification for Euro 2020. However, Enrique later returned as manager and opted not to retain Moreno, branding him "disloyal" for attempting to keep the job for the tournament's duration.
Enrique commented on his former assistant’s ambition, stating, “I have no reason to criticise him professionally. As far as the personal goes, I had no doubts until the words said one thing and the actions said another.”
Former Spain head coach Roberto Moreno was sacked by FC Sochi due to his heavy reliance on ChatGPT.
Moreno reportedly used AI for player travel schedules, leading to a controversial plan for 28 hours without sleep.
ChatGPT also advised on player transfers, recommending a striker who failed to score in 10 games.
Source: DAILY MAIL
