Child Abuse Protesters: 'Ban The Who From The Super Bowl'

Child abuse protesters are calling for The Who to be banned from performing at this year's Super Bowl due to Pete Townshend's 2003 arrest for viewing child pornography images.

The rock veterans are due to play live during the prestigious half time slot at Super Bowl XLIV at Miami's Land Shark stadiumon February 7, however this has sparked criticism from campaign groups.

In an open letter to the NFL on AbuseWatch.net, founder Evin Daly wrote: "Inviting Townshend to play is a blatant disregard to the values of American families and a slap in the face to victims of child sexual abuse."

In 2003 Townshend pleaded guilty to accessing child porn images on a Texas based child pornography four years earlier citing research for his autobiography.

He was given a caution and listed as a sexual offender for five years, but was cleared on charges of possession of indecent pictures as police found no images on his computer.

At the time, the 64-year-old guitarist said: "I accept that I was wrong to access this site, and that by doing so, I broke the law, and I have accepted the caution that the police have given me."

Another American group, Protect Our Children, wrote to the US department of immigration and Florida's attorney general asking for Townshend's visa to be refused.

President Kevin Gillick said: "We acknowledge he was not convicted, but he was on the (British) sex offenders' list. In the United States, you're on a sex offenders' list for life."

Speaking to the Associated Press, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said The Who will be performing as planned.

He said: "UK police cleared him since was doing research for a project on child abuse."