By Kazeem Ajibola Shoyebo
A bizarre chapter has unfolded in Russian football after allegations surfaced that former FC Sochi head coach Robert Moreno relied heavily on ChatGPT and artificial intelligence tools during his tenure, reportedly influencing team selection, logistics and other decisions — claims that Moreno has publicly denied.
Moreno was dismissed from his role at Russian club FC Sochi in September 2025 after a poor run of results early in the club’s return to the Russian Premier League. The team gained just one point in its first seven matches upon promotion, leading to his departure by mutual agreement.
In the months after his exit, Andrei Orlov, former general director at Sochi, spoke publicly about Moreno’s work methods, alleging that the Spaniard used the AI tool ChatGPT extensively for a range of tasks, including forming starting lineups, planning travel schedules and even advising on player recruitment.
Orlov described one particularly striking episode involving preparations for an away match against SKA Khabarovsk, where Moreno reportedly used ChatGPT to generate a travel and training itinerary that would have left players without sleep for 28 consecutive hours. “When we were preparing for the trip to Khabarovsk, Robert said everything was already planned with ChatGPT,” Orlov said in published interviews. “I looked at the presentation and saw the players couldn’t sleep for 28 hours. I asked: ‘Robert, that’s all very well, but when are the lads going to sleep?’”
Orlov also claimed that Moreno fed performance data on several potential striker targets into ChatGPT, from which the AI flagged a Kazakh forward, Artur Shushenachev, as the preferred option. The signing reportedly failed to deliver results, with the player goalless in ten matches.
Orlov’s comments have added fuel to debate about the role of AI technology in professional football, especially when it appears to extend beyond analytical assistance into core decision-making.
However, Moreno has strongly rejected these accusations in his own statements to Spanish media. In response to the claims, he insisted that he never used ChatGPT or any AI tool to prepare matches, decide lineups, or choose players, describing such accounts as “completely false.” He emphasised that while modern coaching staffs use technological tools such as video analysis and scouting databases, sporting and human decisions were always made by him and his staff. Moreno also stated that his departure from Sochi was by “mutual agreement” and not due to any specific allegation about AI use.
“I have never used ChatGPT (or any AI) to prepare matches, decide lineups, or choose players,” Moreno said, defending his record and clarifying the role of technology in his coaching process. He acknowledged the use of analysis tools, but stressed that critical sporting decisions remained under human control.
The contrasting narratives from former club officials and Moreno himself reflect ongoing tension around modern data and technology use in football management. While clubs increasingly employ analytics and artificial intelligence to support performance evaluation, the extent and manner of their integration remain subjects of debate among coaches, players and administrators.
As yet, FC Sochi has not released any official statement confirming Orlov’s version of events, and both sides maintain differing accounts of how technology featured in the team’s preparations and daily operations.
Moreno’s tenure at Sochi, which included relegation and promotion between tiers of Russian football, will likely remain a topic of scrutiny as discussions about AI in coaching continue to evolve.