Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot said the coronavirus pandemic has affected the club "in the heart" following the death of club doctor Bernard Gonzalez, who French newspaper Le Parisien reported committed suicide after contracting Covid-19.
The Ligue 1 club posted a poetic tribute to the 60-year-old on Sunday, describing Gonzalez – who was said to be isolating with his wife after testing positive for the virus – as "a man of science and literature, with inexhaustible curiosity".
Reims' mayor, Arnaud Robinet, called Gonzalez a "collateral victim of Covid-19" and suggested the medical professional – who worked with the club for 23 years – had left a note.