21.   Koumantarakis was clearly right to gamble after he missed the final of the Swiss Cup in order to feature in the Madagascar game.

22.   Never has the team lost so often, looked so hapless, or come so close to missing the finals for the first time in history.

23.   Nigerian forward Tijana Babangida, Dutch Footballer of the Year Ronald De Boer and midfielder Nordin Wooter will miss the final if they receive another yellow card.

24.   Referee Jose Manuel Garcia sent the standout defender off and he will miss the final.

25.   Ravanelli received a yellow card, and will miss the final through suspension.

26.   Several pre-championship favorites missed the final.

27.   Sadly for Reiziger, he received his second yellow card of the championship shortly afterwards and that means he misses the final.

28.   She missed the final in Hong Kong because of a stomach complaint, and was unsure if she could take her place in the first round in Sydney.

29.   Strigel was later knocked out and will also missed the final.

30.   The team turned in its worst qualifying campaign ever and nearly missed the finals altogether, squeaking through in its final match against Venezuela.