Khaberni - Robert Moreno, the former coach of the Spanish national team, denied on Monday the use of the artificial intelligence tool "ChatGPT" in preparing for matches during the time he was coaching the Russian club, Sochi.
Sochi was relegated from the Russian Premier League in May 2024 at the end of the coach's first season. However, during the team's struggle in the first division for the 2024-2025 season, club officials noticed that Moreno was increasingly using the technology.
Andrei Orlov, the former sports director of the club, revealed in statements carried by the British "Daily Mail" that one of the strangest incidents occurred during an away match against the club "SKA Khabarovsk" in March, where Moreno allegedly set a travel and training program for his players with the help of "ChatGPT" but did not adhere to it when the program advised that the team be deprived of sleep for 28 hours.
The coach was also accused of using this technology when choosing between three forwards during the summer transfer period for the 2024-2025 season.
Moreno wrote in an open letter to the Spanish newspaper Marca: I never used "ChatGPT" or any other AI program to prepare for matches, determine line-ups, or select players. This is completely untrue.
Moreno, who is 48 years old, clarified that he used technology in his work, but made his decisions himself and in consultation with his team.
Moreno continued: I started my career in football specifically through analyzing data and videos. This is my specialty, and it made a difference at the beginning of my career.
Like any professional coaching staff, we use analytical tools such as the "GPS" global positioning system, the "Wyscout" (football analytics database), video, and talent scouting platforms. Technology helps process information faster, but sports decisions always remain the prerogative of the coaching staff.
Moreno said that the reports about his use of the "ChatGPT" program came from the club's former CEO, Andrei Orlov, with whom he had disputes.
He explained: My departure was by mutual agreement at a time when the results were mixed and disputes about sports planning were common in the world of football. Describing it as "fired for using ChatGPT" simplifies a more complex issue and is also not true.
Moreno, who previously coached Monaco and Granada, temporarily took over as coach of the Spanish national team in 2019 as the successor to Luis Enrique, then was appointed as a permanent coach in June of the same year after Luis Enrique resigned following the diagnosis of his daughter Zana with a rare type of bone cancer.
Subsequently, the Spanish Football Federation led by its former president Luis Rubiales brought back coach Luis Enrique and excluded his assistant and friend Moreno from coaching the national team in the Euro 2020 championship to which the "Matador" had qualified.
