According to The Independent, MIA has asked Madonna to bail her out after being ordered to pay $16.6m (£9.1m) for flipping her middle finger on stage during the 2012 Super Bowl half–time show.

The National Football League had initially demanded $1.5m for breach of contract and tarnishing of reputation, but filed for additional “restitution” costs before the American Arbitration Association on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

These charges would cover “the alleged value of public exposure (MIA) received by appearing for an approximately two minute segment during Madonna’s performance,” NFL’s statement read. “The figure is based on what advertisers would have paid for ads during this time.”

The British rapper made the controversial gesture for less than a second while performing “Give Me All Your Luvin'”. She was not paid for her Super Bowl performance, as is custom.

MIA’s Twitter message begging Madonna for financial assistance received some 1,500 retweets but has since been deleted.

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