A Russian football club’s disastrous season has been attributed to their head coach’s unusual reliance on artificial intelligence, according to revelations from a former club executive.
FC Sochi suffered relegation from the Russian Premier League to the First League under Spanish coach Robert Moreno, who allegedly used ChatGPT extensively to make critical decisions about training schedules, match preparation, and player acquisitions. The coach was eventually dismissed in September 2025 after the team managed just one point from seven league matches.
Andrey Orlov, the former deputy general director of FC Sochi, revealed the extent of Moreno’s AI dependence in an interview with Sports.ru. According to Orlov, Moreno initially impressed club staff and management as a highly qualified specialist when he joined in December 2023. However, as the team struggled, the coach increasingly turned to the chatbot for guidance.
The most striking example came before an away match against SKA Khabarovsk in the First League. Moreno allegedly developed a preparation plan based on ChatGPT’s recommendations that required players to stay awake for 28 consecutive hours before the game.
“I asked: ‘Robert, everything’s fine, but when are the guys going to sleep?'” Orlov recalled. After this intervention, Moreno adjusted his prompt to the AI system, which generated an updated training schedule. The team ultimately traveled to the match following the chatbot-created plan.
The neural network also reportedly provided other questionable advice, including suggestions that players wake up at 5:00 AM as part of their preparation routine.
Beyond training schedules, Moreno allegedly consulted ChatGPT when making personnel decisions about which players to sign. The AI recommended Kazakh forward Artur Shushenachev, who subsequently failed to establish himself with the team and did not register a single goal in 10 appearances.
Under Moreno’s leadership, Sochi first suffered relegation from the Russian Premier League before managing to return to the top division. However, the club’s fortunes did not improve. After the disappointing start to the current season left Sochi at the bottom of the standings, the club terminated Moreno’s contract on September 1, 2025. Igor Osinkin was appointed as his replacement.
While artificial intelligence tools have found applications in sports analytics and performance data, the case of FC Sochi suggests that over-reliance on such systems without proper human oversight can lead to poor decision-making.
