Published Tuesday, 07 February 2012
The London rapper has come under fire for making the obscene gesture as she joined Madonna's half-time spectacular, which was watched by 111.3 million American viewers.
The Material Girl had promised TV producers she wouldn't break any indecency rules, set in place after Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004, and she's said to be fuming over M.I.A.'s rude gesture.
A source tells The Sun: "Madonna wasn't impressed. She prides herself on professionalism. M.I.A. did nothing similar in rehearsals. Nobody knew she was going to pull this stunt.
"Madonna wanted to put on a world-beating performance. But everyone ended up talking about this girl's middle finger."
Bosses at US TV network NBC have been forced to issue a statement about the controversial incident after receiving a flood of complaints.
A spokesperson says: "We apologise for the inappropriate gesture that aired during half time. It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."