"I decided to resign because I am not happy with the current situation," Al-Saadi declared to the Arab satellite channel MBC.

The step by the man who was single-handedly re-establishing Libyan football on the international scene has come as a major shock.

The son of the head of the state Muammar Gaddafi said a lack of government commitment to the sport had led to his decision.

"Libyan football is facing tough challenges, and the government is not supporting us enough," he added.

"We need more backing from the government to overcome the obstacles."

Al-Saadi, who is the chairman of one of Libya's most famous clubs Al Ittihad, announced that his contacts with the FA would not be completely severed.

"I have resigned but I am still in touch with the football federation and I have a lot of plans for my country including bidding to host the World Cup in 2010."

Lazio links

Al-Saadi, who is a player in his country's national team, has spent huge amounts of money to buy influence in a number of major European clubs.

He has confirmed that he is considering buying the majority of stock in Italian club Lazio to add to his Italian investment portfolio which is estimated to be worth $5bn.

Gaddafi junior is also a board member of Juventus, after his firm the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (Lafico) bought a 7.5% share in the Italian champions.