The first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show might have been a historic moment for many, but the incident has sparked serious online backlash from around the globe.
Fans did not hesitate one bit to term this event as an awkward disaster, while some felt the program was a momentum-killing disaster.
The event was reportedly curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin in partnership with Global Citizen. The 11-minute-long musical mega mix tried to blend sports legends, pop icons, and internal humor, but in the end, it just left billions of football purists so divided.
Millions of viewers complained on social media that stopping the highly tense 0-0 final for a musical spectacle utterly killed the competitive vibe and energy related to the sport.
The entire halftime break stretched to 27 minutes and 22 seconds to accommodate stage setups, shattering the International Football Association Board's traditional time limit of just 15 minutes.
Fans and pundits heavily criticized FIFA as the massive stage and heavy foot traffic visibly trampled the stadium grass right before the players returned for the second half.
Some of the most bizarre moments included the poor and utterly slow song choice of Justin Bieber's segment, while Madonna's dune buggy entrance was dubbed jarring. The addition of the Muppets was also considered unnecessary and just weird by many.