Robert Moreno and ChatGPT: the full timeline of the hoax that became global news
Facts, sources, and debunkings of a lie fabricated in three steps
In January 2026, a story went around the world: “A football coach was sacked 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 data and dates say so, the Russian outlets where the events took place say so, and a direct witness who was in the dressing room with me says so.
This article presents the full timeline, the verifiable facts, and the published debunkings. Any serious journalist can verify every piece of information presented here.
Who I am: necessary context
Before getting into the facts, I believe 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 qualification. My career includes:
- 🇪🇸 Spain head coach (2019): unbeaten qualification for Euro 2020 (7W-2D).
- 🇲🇨 AS Monaco (Ligue 1): young talents such as Tchouaméni and Fofana.
- 🇪🇸 Granada CF (LaLiga): Spain’s top division.
- 🇪🇸 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 begin with ChatGPT. I started analysing football with video at 14, when nobody did 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 disgruntled 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 June 30, 2025. I left on September 2, 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 sacked 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 “The former Sochi 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 without verifying → Costa Rican outlets translate from English.
None of them read the original Russian article. None of them contacted me.
What really happened at FK Sochi
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2023 | I accepted the project. The team was in the lower positions. |
| May 2024 | My contract was renewed until 2027. |
| May 2025 | I achieved promotion to the Russian Premier League. |
| Summer 2025 | The club’s management structure changed. |
| 2 Sep 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 due to results. ChatGPT appears nowhere in that decision.
Arguments that collapse on their own
“ChatGPT chose a striker who did not score goals”
Actual data on Shushenachev (Transfermarkt): 13 matches, 2 goals, 2 assists in the league + 2 goals in the Cup. In addition, the former sporting director himself, as deputy CEO, signed the loan deal.
“28 hours without sleep before a match”
Khabarovsk is 7 time zones away from Sochi. I consulted doctors specialising in sports chronobiology to manage jet lag. It is standard practice in high performance. Result: we won 1-0.
My own words on Russian television
The MatchTV channel — the main sports channel on Russian television — interviewed me directly on this topic. You can watch the full interview with Spanish subtitles here.
“Having ChatGPT determine tactics or the game plan is absurd. The irony is that we won that same match in Khabarovsk 1-0. And the team was very satisfied with the game plan.” — Robert Moreno, MatchTV (January 2026)
“Sporting decisions, planning, who will take 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 just an assistant that speeds up processes, but it will never be a replacement for 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 | Regular? |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT and translation apps | Day-to-day translation from Russian into Spanish | ✅ |
| Wyscout / InStat | Opponent and player analysis (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 it 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 choose players.” |
| Sport24.ru | “I did not use ChatGPT to prepare matches.” |
| MatchTV | “Claiming that ChatGPT determines 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 supports the version that I was sacked because of ChatGPT. The only ones pushing that narrative 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 did you 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 they left?
- 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 figure “did not score” come from?
- Have you contacted me to ask for my side of the story? My debunking was published in Sport24.ru, MatchTV, Sportbox.ru, and Marca.
- Did you know I achieved Sochi’s promotion to the Russian Premier League? If “ChatGPT was coaching the team”, how did we get promoted?
- Did you know my contract was renewed until 2027? Would a club renew a coach and then “sack him 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 yours for you.
And I have learned that staying silent out of respect comes at a price.
The “sacked for ChatGPT” story is a three-step media construction:
1. A former executive with an axe to grind.
2. An outlet invents a headline.
3. Dozens of outlets copy without verifying.
They hired me. They renewed me. I got the team promoted. I left because of results, not because of ChatGPT.
📺 Video · Full interview
The truth told in the first person
Interview on MatchTV (Russia) · Spanish subtitles · 9 minutes
