"It's a vicious blow to all of us," France coach Raymond Domenech was quoted as saying by the French Football Federation (FFF) website on Wednesday.

"He is in hospital and he's undergoing surgery," Domenech told reporters after France's friendly international against China.

Cisse picked up a right knee fracture after being tackled by China skipper Zheng Zhi 10 minutes into Wednesday's game.

He was taken off the field on a stretcher and had immediate surgery on his broken right leg.

"He has an open fracture of the tibia," Domenech said.

This is the second time the 24-year-old striker misses out on a major tournament after being suspended for the duration of the European Championship in 2004.

Cisse was France's leading scorer in the World Cup qualifiers with four goals

Domenech is now faced with choosing a replacement for the former Auxerre star.

"We don't know the name of his replacement yet, we want to take our time in order to make the right decision," said the French coach.

Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly, Lyon's Sidney Govou and ex-Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka, now with Fenerbahce, are all possible replacements for the injured goal-getter.