Spanish coach fired after overreliance on ChatGPT
Spanish football coach Robert Moreno was fired from Russian club FC Sochi after heavily relying on ChatGPT for training decisions and player selection, leading to poor results including unusual scheduling that required players to stay awake for 28 hours before a match.
What happened
Robert Moreno, former Spanish national team coach, was fired from FC Sochi in September 2025 after winning only one point in seven matches. According to the former sporting director André Orlov, Moreno relied heavily on ChatGPT to make tactical decisions, plan training schedules, and choose players.
Before a match against Khabarovsk, Moreno strictly followed ChatGPT's instructions and scheduled players to wake at 5 a.m. and train at 7 a.m., with instructions to stay awake for 28 consecutive hours. Moreno also used ChatGPT to select striker Artur Shushnatchev from three candidates, entering player data from WhoScored into the system.
Reported impact
Shushnatchev failed to score in ten matches after joining Sochi. Under Moreno's leadership, Sochi relegated from Russia's top league to the first division and faced sharp criticism from supporters for excessive focus on ball possession without capitalizing on opportunities.
Index analysis
The case illustrates overreliance on an AI system for decisions requiring human judgment in sports management, including player selection, training methodology, and match preparation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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