Robert Moreno and ChatGPT: the complete timeline of a hoax that became world news
Facts, sources and rebuttals of a lie manufactured in three steps
In January 2026, a news story travelled around the world: «A football coach was fired for using ChatGPT to prepare matches and line-ups». That story was about me.
The problem is that it is completely false. And it is not just me saying so: the facts, the dates, the very Russian outlets where the events took place, and a direct witness who was in the dressing room with me all say the same.
This article lays out the full timeline, the verifiable facts and the published rebuttals. Any serious journalist can check every fact presented here.
Who I am: the context you need
Before getting into the facts, I think it is necessary to explain who I am, for anyone arriving at this article without prior context.
My name is Robert Moreno. I am a football coach with a UEFA Pro licence — the highest international coaching qualification. My career includes:
- 🇪🇸 Head coach of Spain (2019): unbeaten qualification for Euro 2020 (7W-2D).
- 🇲🇨 AS Monaco (Ligue 1): young talents such as Tchouaméni and Fofana.
- 🇪🇸 Granada CF (LaLiga): the Spanish top flight.
- 🇪🇸 FC Barcelona (assistant coach): 9 titles, including the 2015 Champions League.
- 🇷🇺 PFC Sochi: promotion to the Russian Premier League in May 2025.
My relationship with technology did not start with ChatGPT. I began analysing football with video at the age of 14, when nobody was doing it in Spain. I was one of the first video analysts in Spanish football.
Anatomy of a lie: how the story was manufactured
The story was built in three steps that anyone can verify.
Step 1: A resentful former executive speaks seven months later
The former sporting director of FK Sochi gave an interview to Sport24.ru in January 2026.
Key fact: this former executive left the club on 30 June 2025. I left on 2 September 2025. He did not witness my departure. He cannot speak about the reasons for my exit because he was no longer there.
The original Russian article never says that I was fired for using ChatGPT. That causal link does not exist in the source.
Step 2: A US outlet invents a headline
beIN Sports USA picked up the story and changed the headline:
From the Russian «Sochi’s former coach regularly used neural networks» to: «Fired for using ChatGPT».
That transformation is an editorial invention. It does not exist in the original source.
Step 3: The snowball effect
Reddit → viral meme → outlets in English, Arabic, French and Spanish copy it without checking → media in Costa Rica translate from the English version.
None of them read the original article in Russian. None of them contacted me.
What really happened at FK Sochi
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2023 | I took on the project. The team was near the bottom of the table. |
| May 2024 | My contract was extended until 2027. |
| May 2025 | I achieved promotion to the Russian Premier League. |
| Summer 2025 | The club changed its management structure. |
| 2 Sept 2025 | I left by mutual agreement after a difficult start in the top flight. |
They hired me. They renewed me. I got the team promoted. We parted ways over results. ChatGPT plays no part whatsoever in that decision.
The arguments that collapse on their own
«ChatGPT picked a striker who scored no goals»
Shushenachev’s real numbers (Transfermarkt): 13 matches, 2 goals, 2 assists in the league + 2 goals in the Cup. What is more, it was the former sporting director himself, as deputy general manager, who signed off on the loan.
«28 hours without sleep before a match»
Khabarovsk is 7 time zones from Sochi. I consulted doctors specialising in sports chronobiology to manage the jet lag. It is standard practice in elite sport. Result: we won 1-0.
My own words on Russian television
MatchTV — the main sports channel on Russian television — interviewed me directly about this matter. You can watch the full interview, with Spanish subtitles, here.
«The idea that ChatGPT determines the tactics or the game plan is absurd. The irony is that we won that very match in Khabarovsk 1-0. And the team was very satisfied with the game plan.»
— Robert Moreno, MatchTV (January 2026)
«Sporting decisions, planning, who takes the field, the line-up — these are made by people. And I have always done this together with my coaching staff.»
— Robert Moreno, MatchTV (January 2026)
«Artificial intelligence has no emotions. It cannot hug, it cannot look you in the eye. It will always remain merely an assistant that speeds up processes, but it will never replace a living person.»
— Robert Moreno, MatchTV (January 2026)
What technology did I actually use in Russia?
I want to be completely transparent:
| Tool | What I used it for | Standard? |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT and translation apps | Translating from Russian to Spanish day to day | ✅ |
| Wyscout / InStat | Analysis of opponents and players (industry-standard platforms) | ✅ |
| GPS and sensors | Physical load and injury prevention | ✅ |
| Video sessions | Tactical match preparation | ✅ |
| Coaching-staff meetings | Decision-making: line-ups, tactics, strategy | ✅ |
Sporting decisions are made by the coaching staff. It has always been that way and always will be.
Who has debunked this story
| Source | Statement |
|---|---|
| Letter in Marca | «I never used ChatGPT or any AI to prepare matches, decide line-ups or pick players.» |
| Sport24.ru | «I did not use ChatGPT to prepare the matches.» |
| MatchTV | «Claiming that ChatGPT determines the tactics is absurd.» Watch the full interview → |
| Nacho Saavedra (Sochi player) | «I never saw Robert use ChatGPT for line-ups or training. It is completely false.» |
No Russian outlet backs the claim that I was fired over ChatGPT. The only ones keeping that narrative alive are those who copied a false headline without reading the original source.
Questions for anyone who wants to verify this story
- Have you read the original Sport24.ru article? If you do not speak Russian, did you translate it yourself or copy what another outlet said in English?
- Did you know the former sporting director left the club in June 2025 and I left in September 2025? How can someone witness something that happened after their own departure?
- Did you know we won 1-0 in Khabarovsk? If the plan was so «disastrous», how do you explain the win?
- Did you know Shushenachev scored 4 goals for Sochi? Where does the «scored none» figure come from?
- Have you contacted me to ask for my side? My rebuttal was published on Sport24.ru, MatchTV, Sportbox.ru and in Marca.
- Did you know I got Sochi promoted to the Premier League? If «ChatGPT was running the team», how did we go up?
- Did you know my contract was extended until 2027? Does a club renew a coach it then «fires for using ChatGPT»?
Conclusion
I have learned that the narrative is often stronger than the truth.
I have learned that when you have no voice, others build one for you.
And I have learned that staying silent out of respect comes at a price.
The «fired over ChatGPT» story is a media construction in three steps:
1. A former executive with a score to settle.
2. An outlet invents a headline.
3. Dozens of outlets copy it without checking.
They hired me. They renewed me. I got the team promoted. I left over results, not over ChatGPT.
📺 Video · Full interview
The truth, told first-hand
Interview on MatchTV (Russia) · Spanish subtitles · 9 minutes
