Former international manager sacked by team after 'ordering players to stay awake for 28 hours' due to AI

Andrei Orlov, who previously served as Sochi's sporting director, disclosed that Moreno developed an unusual dependence on the AI platform, using it to inform choices that proved disastrous for the team.

The Spaniard's tenure saw him implement peculiar training regimes and transfer strategies based on ChatGPT's recommendations, ultimately contributing to his downfall at the struggling Russian outfit.

One particularly striking example of Moreno's AI obsession emerged during an away fixture in Khabarovsk, where he insisted on following ChatGPT's travel itinerary to the letter.

The schedule demanded players remain awake for 28 consecutive hours and attend a training session at 7am two days prior to the match.

"When we were preparing for a trip to Khabarovsk, Robert said, 'I've got it all figured out. I've set up all the trip parameters in ChatGPT,'" Orlov told Sports Russia.

"I looked at the presentation: it showed that the players weren't supposed to sleep for 28 hours. I asked, 'Robert, that's all great, but when are the guys going to sleep?'"

Orlov noted that Moreno ignored local expertise, failing to consult teammate Oleg Kozhemyakin, who had spent a year playing for SKA Khabarovsk.

The former sporting director revealed that Moreno's reliance on artificial intelligence extended to recruitment matters during the summer transfer window.

When seeking a new forward, the club considered three candidates: Vladimir Pisarsky, Pavel Meleshin and Artur Shushenachev.

"Moreno entered the data of Pisarsky, Meleshin, and Shushenachev from Wyscout into ChatGPT. Shushenachev emerged as the best according to GPT," Orlov explained.

Sochi proceeded with the AI-recommended signing, but Shushenachev proved woefully ineffective, failing to find the net in any of his 10 appearances.

Orlov acknowledged that using such technology as a supplementary resource was reasonable, but expressed concern about Moreno's growing dependence on it.

"An additional tool—why not? But for Moreno, GPT eventually became one of his primary tools," he said.

Discontent spread throughout the squad as Moreno's methods took their toll, with Orlov revealing that both Russian players and foreign recruits lost faith in their manager.

"Towards the end, the Russian core was very unhappy with Moreno, and the foreigners weren't so confident in his ideas either. He was completely unsympathetic to his assistants and players—people sensed it," he said.

Supporters also grew frustrated with Moreno's rigid possession-based approach, which produced little attacking threat, and his apparent neglect of set-piece preparation during training sessions.

Prior to his Sochi stint, Moreno had led Spain for nine matches, securing seven victories and two draws before stepping aside ahead of Euro 2020. Luis Enrique, whom he replaced, later branded him "disloyal" and "over ambitious.