Alain Courtois is a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 politician. Born in Schaerbeek, he is Secretary General of the Belgian Football Association

Belgian Football Association

The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium...

 (URBSFA). He has served as a replacement minister on several occasions.

He was the federally appointed Reformist Movement

Reformist Movement

The Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...

—Citizens' Movement for Change

Citizens' Movement for Change

Citizens' Movement for Change is a Christian Democratic political party in the French Community of Belgium founded by Gérard Deprez. It is a component of the Mouvement Réformateur....

 representative of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde

Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde

Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...

 district from 26 June 2003 to 12 February 2004, replacing Daniel Ducarme

Daniel Ducarme

Daniel Ducarme was a Belgian politician and former Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.-Background and political affiliation:...

, who became Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region

Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region

The Minister-President of the Brussels Capital-Region is the person leading the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region. The post is appointed for 5 years along with 4 ministers and 3 "state" secretaries...

 and minister of Arts, Letters and Audio-visual of the French Community of Belgium

French Community of Belgium

The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...

. From 19 February 2004 to 28 June 2004 he served as a replacement for Jacques Simonet

Jacques Simonet

Jacques Simonet was a Belgian politician and a former Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region.He is the son of Henri Simonet, former Socialist Party minister and for many years mayor of Anderlecht. His mother Marie-Louise Angenet taught at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.He was born in...

, who replaced Ducarme in the Minister-President

Minister-President

A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...

 post following a scandal. Since July 1, 2004 he has served as a replacement for Martine Payfa, who was elected to the Belgian Federal Parliament

Belgian Federal Parliament

The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate . It sits in the Palace of the Nation .- Chamber of Representatives :...

 from the Brussels-Capital Region. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Senate

Belgian Senate

The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...

 in 2007.

Courtois is a supporter of football in Belgium

Football in Belgium

Football, a sport which has been played in Belgium since the end of the 19th century, is that country's most popular sport. The national association was founded in 1895 with the intention of bringing some order and organization to the sport...

, and is a frequent commentator on the RTL

RTL (French radio)

In France, RTL is a popular nation-wide commercial radio network owned by the RTL Group.In 1931, Radio Luxembourg, the public radio network from Luxembourg, was privatised. Beginning in 1946, it could be heard easily in France. Until the 1980s, only the French public radio networks could transmit...

 sports radio program "Vasyavoirdusport." He led the organizing committee of 2000 UEFA European Championship, which was held jointly in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2006, he was named to lead the Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...

 bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

2018 FIFA World Cup

The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...

. The name of the project is Beltomundial