DOHA: Qatar star Khalfan Ibrahim has been ruled out of the upcoming Gulf Cup after suffering a knee injury in training before playing North Korea in a tune-up match ahead of the regional event. The Al Sadd striker, 26, sustained a partial tear of a knee ligament and is expected to be out for three or four weeks. Khalfan's withdrawal constitutes a major blow for Qatar's preparations as coach Djamal Belmadi will go through his first assignment without one of his main attacking guns. Khalfan was named theAsian player of the year awardin 2006,becoming the first Qatari to win the title. He played forAl Arabiat youth level before moving to Al Sadd in 2004 before leading the Doha based club to winning the AFC Champions League in 2011.