The Who Superbowl Controversy

Epic British rockers The Who are facing protests ahead of their performance at the Superbowl half-time show.

The Who are one of rock music's most important acts. The legendary British group helped turn the studio into an instrument, recording seminal albums such as 'Tommy' which pushed the boundaries of what rock music was capable of achieving.

Now reduced to two original members, The Who were confirmed as the performers at this year's Superbowl half time show. One of the biggest sporting events on the planet, the show at half time regularly scored huge audiences.

Due to perform at the Florida event on February 7th, The Who are following in the footsteps of New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen who appeared at the 2009 event.

However in a new twist Child Abuse Watch have lodged a complaint against The Who due to guitarist Pete Townshend's conviction for accessing child pornography.

Founder and chief executive officer Evin Daly told South Florida Sun Sentinel: "The Who is a great band. Pete Townshend is the only issue here."

It seems as though the protests won't prevent The Who from performing at the event. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Associated Press that the band would still be appearing at the Superbowl.

"UK police cleared him since he was doing research for a project on child abuse," McCarthy stated.

In 2003 Pete Townshend was cautioned and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years after he admitted using his credit card to look at a paedophile website for research into child abuse.

The guitarist claimed to be working on a book about his life.