Robert Moreno has walked into one of the more demanding jobs in international football with South Korea desperate to rebuild confidence, but his first press conference quickly turned towards an unusual controversy from his previous role. The Spaniard was forced to address claims that artificial intelligence had played an inappropriate role in his work at Russian club Sochi, before turning his attention to a very different challenge: restoring belief in the Taegeuk Warriors.
Robert Moreno denies using AI to prepare for games
Moreno strongly denied reports that he relied heavily on artificial intelligence during his time at Sochi, where he was dismissed in September 2025 following a poor start to the season.The Spaniard took charge of the Russian Premier League club on December 15, 2023, arriving with Sochi at the bottom of the table. He remained in the job until September 2, 2025, when he left by mutual consent after the club collected just one point from its opening seven matches of the new campaign. His overall record at Sochi ended with 22 wins, 17 draws and 23 defeats.The controversy surrounding his methods emerged after his departure. Sochi’s former sporting and general director Andrei Orlov claimed Moreno had developed an unusually heavy reliance on ChatGPT for a wide range of club operations.According to claims from club officials, AI was allegedly used for everything from planning training sessions and identifying potential transfer targets to selecting starting lineups and organising travel. One particularly controversial example involved an away trip to Khabarovsk, where an AI-generated itinerary reportedly proposed keeping the players awake for 28 consecutive hours.The claims also included an alleged recommendation involving striker Artur Shushenachev, further fuelling suggestions that ChatGPT had gone far beyond being a simple analytical tool and had become involved in key football decisions.Moreno rejected that portrayal when the subject was raised at his first press conference as South Korea’s interim coach in Cheonan on Monday.“It was a piece of news that is completely false and went viral,” he said.Moreno acknowledged that he does use technology but insisted that the reports had distorted how he worked.“Obviously I use technology,” he said. “If you verify facts, you will see that much of what was reported was taken out of context and blown out of proportion.”He added: “Anyone who spends 10 minutes looking into it can see that everything has been taken out of context and put together to cause harm.”Moreno was appointed South Korea’s interim coach in August on a contract running until the end of November. The Korea Football Association could extend that arrangement through the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January and February, although that would be “subject to an evaluation”.The 48-year-old, who previously took charge of Spain for nine matches in 2009, is the first Spaniard to coach South Korea.
Son Heung-min remains captain as Moreno names first squad
Moreno’s first assignment is to prepare South Korea for a series of friendlies, beginning with Ecuador on September 24.Son Heung-min remains captain after being included in Moreno’s first squad. The 34-year-old LAFC forward remains a central figure for a national team attempting to recover from a disappointing World Cup campaignMoreno highlighted the veteran’s versatility when discussing his plans.“We’re all aware of Son’s versatility,” he said. “For me he can play in three positions.”Moreno also used his first appearance before the Korean media to promise a more positive experience for supporters.“We’re going to try to do our work honestly and with the aim of making all Korean football fans happy,” he said.His appointment followed the resignation of Hong Myung-bo, who stepped down after South Korea were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup.Moreno is therefore taking over a team whose problems have extended well beyond results, with public confidence in the national side and the country’s football authorities both badly damaged.
South Korea’s football leadership has endured a turbulent period
Discontent surrounding Hong’s appointment in 2024 had already caused anger among supporters, but the World Cup disappointment intensified the scrutiny.Hong was questioned by lawmakers at a parliamentary hearing in July alongside Chung Mong-gyu, the former head of the Korea Football Association. The KFA’s offices were subsequently raided by police in August.The federation also apologised after a leaked government audit reported that it had provided “sexual entertainment” for foreign referees in 2011 and 2012.Moreno has made clear that he does not intend to publicly dissect Hong’s tenure, despite having studied the team’s World Cup performances closely.“I have studied World Cup matches and players inside out but I think it is inappropriate to publicly evaluate my predecessor,” he said.Instead, Moreno wants the previous failures to become something the team can learn from.“It is important to use whatever happened in the past as a learning opportunity,” he added. “What is clear is that when you lose, many problems surface. But when you win, they fade away.”For now, Moreno has six matches to work with before the end of his initial contract. After Ecuador, South Korea are scheduled to face Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, along with two opponents yet to be named, as preparations build towards the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
