Moreno, 48, who took charge of Sochi in 2023, is said to have increasingly relied on the AI tool during the 2024/2025 season. This reliance allegedly sparked unease within the club’s hierarchy and among players, contributing to a breakdown in trust and confidence.
Sochi were relegated from the Russian Premier League in May 2024 after Moreno’s first season. Although the club secured promotion back to the top flight the following season, tensions reportedly escalated during their time in the First League.
According to the club’s former sporting director, Andrei Orlov, Moreno’s use of AI sometimes overlooked practical realities—most notably player welfare.
Daily Mail reported that Orlov recalled a trip to FC SKA-Khabarovsk in March 2025, where a travel and training schedule generated with ChatGPT allegedly left players without sleep for 28 hours.
“I looked at the presentation and saw that the players couldn’t sleep for 28 hours,” Orlov said. “I asked him when the players were supposed to sleep.”
Although the plan was eventually abandoned, Orlov said the incident fueled growing discontent among players, who began questioning early-morning training sessions and the rigid nature of Moreno’s approach.
Orlov also revealed that Moreno used ChatGPT during the 2024 summer transfer window to evaluate striker options. The AI reportedly recommended Kazakh forward Artur Shushenachev, who failed to score in 10 appearances before being sold the following summer.
Dissatisfaction reportedly spread across the dressing room, with both local and foreign players losing confidence in Moreno’s ideas due to a perceived lack of empathy and communication.
Sochi returned to the Russian Premier League last summer, but Moreno managed only seven matches in the top flight, collecting a single point before his dismissal.
Club officials reportedly felt that Moreno’s increasing reliance on AI, rather than human judgment, had taken him away from “common sense,” leading to his exit.
Moreno previously managed clubs including Granada and Monaco, and briefly led the Spanish national team in 2019 after Luis Enrique stepped aside due to a family tragedy. Though he guided Spain to qualification for Euro 2020, Enrique later returned and did not retain him as assistant, accusing him of disloyalty.