Madonna may have been the star of the show, but M.I.A definitely stole some of the attention when she flipped the middle finger to viewers during the Super Bowl halftime show...

Ah, something was BOUND to happen during last night's Super Bowl that'd require an apology from the NBC. In 2004, it was Janet Jackson's wayward nipple after Justin Timberlake ripped at her top just a little too hard. This time around, it was M.I.A being her usual untameable self.

In front of the worldly viewers of the dazzling halftime show, Brit fave (cause for patriotism!) M.I.A stuck up her extended middle finger during her performance of Madonna's new single, 'Give Me All Your Luvin'. 

She also appeared to have slipped in an expletive or two, although it was hard to hear her clearly.

And the NFL have immediately got down to apologising, in an attempt to ward off complaints before they even begin:

"The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing and we apologize to our fans." 

To be perfectly honest, we have no idea what they were expecting when the contracted M.I.A to give a performance; she's not exactly known for her shy and retiring nature, is she? Viewers will have noticed the screen blurred after she flipped the bird, in a one second too late attempt to censor the risque moment.

And, hilariously, the NBC have got down to apologising as well. Although they've also opted for the childish method of pointing the blame finger firmly at NFL:

"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show... Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers."

Tsk tsk.