FALL 2025

AUTHOR

Pedro Passos Farias, Institute of Computing – Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF)

ABSTRACT

With millions on the line every match, top soccer clubs still make critical substitution decisions based largely on intuition. This paper introduces an AI-powered Decision Support System (DSS) that brings data-driven rigor to one of the game’s most crucial tactical moments. Using fuzzy logic to model expert coaching knowledge, our system provides real-time substitution priorities by integrating validated performance metrics (playerankScore), fatigue (minutesPlayed), age, and disciplinary risk (TemCartaoAmarelo). A key innovation is its contextual logic, which modulates disciplinary risk based on a player’s tactical position (roleCluster), reflecting deeper tactical awareness. Validation through case studies confirms the system’s ability to balance conflicting factors and escalate priority in high-risk scenarios, providing a tangible competitive advantage for real-time game management when every decision counts.