Watch Madonna's controversial Super Bowl half-time performance...

An impressively glitzy show from the material girl featured several costume changes, along with guests including Cee Lo Green, dance rockers LMFAO, plus Nicki Minaj and MIA, who sang on Madonna's new single Give Me All Your Luvin'.

And it was during that performance that rebel MC MIA flipped her middle finger at the crowd, apparently too fast for broadcasters NBC to blur out for the TV audience - upwards of 100 million viewers - using their delay system.

NBC partly blamed those who booked the singer, saying, "The NFL hired the talent and produced the half-time show... Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologise to our viewers."

But the NFL laid the charge squarely at the broadcaster's door: "There was a failure in NBC's delay system. The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologise to our fans."

It's not the first faux pas to occur during the Super Bowl half-time performance. In 2004, Janet Jackson suffered a now infamous wardrobe malfunction that exposed one of her breasts to onlookers.

http://www.youtube.com/v/tQaa7setfDk