Following ChatGPT's advice, a European coach made players stay awake for 28 hours straight.

Over-relying on AI recommendations, a European coach caused debate by enforcing a demanding schedule that pushed players to exhaustion ahead of a game.

Robert Moreno, former head coach of Spain’s national team, drew attention in Russia after being dismissed by FC Sochi due to his extreme methods and excessive dependence on ChatGPT. The 49-year-old coach managed only 1 point in 7 matches in the Russian First Division before losing his position.

According to former sporting director Andrei Orlov, Moreno regarded ChatGPT as a crucial “tactical assistant.” On an away trip to Khabarovsk, he almost completely followed the AI’s suggestions to organize the team’s schedule, disregarding real conditions and advice from the support staff.

Specifically, Moreno demanded the entire team wake up at 5 a.m., train at 7 a.m., and notably, stay awake for 28 consecutive hours before the match. This left many players confused, unable to understand why they had to follow such a harsh and scientifically unsupported routine.

Notably, Sochi’s squad included Oleg Kozhemyakin, a player who had spent a year at SKA Khabarovsk and was well familiar with local conditions. However, Moreno did not consult him and still chose to follow the schedule proposed by ChatGPT.

Beyond training, Moreno also used ChatGPT to assist in player selection. When searching for a striker in the summer, he input data on three candidates from Wyscout into the AI system and picked Artur Shushenachev based on GPT’s “optimal” evaluation, ignoring traditional analyses.

As a result, Shushenachev failed to score in 10 matches, and internal dissatisfaction within the team grew. Orlov revealed that Russian players were unhappy, foreign players lost confidence, and Moreno was seen as lacking empathy toward his assistants and players.

Under Moreno’s leadership, Sochi was relegated from the Russian Premier League. Previously, he had left the Spain national team coaching position before Euro 2020 and was criticized by Luis Enrique as “disloyal” and “overly ambitious.”