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Ghana defender Harrison Afful will miss the first leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup playoff first next month due to suspension. The versatile Esperance defender has accumulated two yellow cards and will serve a one-match ban. Afful picked up his second yellow card of the qualifiers during last Friday's qualifier against Zambia at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi. He was also booked in the corresponding fixture against the Chipolopolo in June last year in Ndola. Article 17.3 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code which states: "If a player receives a caution in two separate matches of the same FIFA competition, he is automatically suspended for the next match in that competition." The absence of the left-back for the crucial game is confirmed in Article 38.1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code which states "as a general rule, every match suspension (of players and other persons) is carried over from one round to the next in the same competition." The first leg has been fixed for 11-15 October, with Ghana set to know her opponent after the draw next week in Egypt. He will return for the second leg of the playoff which has been fixed for 15-19 November.