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America's top football league has no plans to drop Bad Bunny as the headline performer for the Super Bowl halftime show, League chief Roger Goodell stated on Wednesday.

In doing so, Goodell reaffirmed the choice to feature the internationally acclaimed singer on the league’s biggest stage, a move that sparked negative reactions from the former president and some of his supporters.

Goodell commented on the controversy during his media briefing following the annual fall owners meeting. This marks the initial instance he has spoken out on the appointment, which has attracted global interest, including a rise in streams of Bad Bunny’s music alongside backlash.

“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell remarked. “I doubt we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of fans that are watching.”

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been a vocal opponent of the former leader. He recently decided to hold a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, skipping stops in the mainland US, referencing apprehensions about the expulsion of Hispanic individuals.

The artist, who performs primarily in his native language, is anticipated to continue this at the Super Bowl.

“We believe it’s going to be a great show,” the NFL commissioner commented. “He understands the opportunity that he has, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a unifying moment.”

The host team are staging the Super Bowl on 8 February at Levi’s Stadium in the Bay Area. It is unclear if Trump intends to attend, although he has turned physical attendance at high-profile games a significant part of his current presidency.

The political figure in an interview on right-leaning media Newsmax said he had “no knowledge of” Bad Bunny.

“I don’t know who he is,” Trump stated. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It seems absurd. Additionally, they attribute it to an outside booker they hired to pick up talent. In my opinion it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Goodell defended the decision this week, clarifying it was made because of Bad Bunny’s immense popularity.

“He’s one of the leading and best-loved performers in the world,” he affirmed. “This is exactly what we try to accomplish. It’s an important platform for the league. It serves as a key element to the entertainment value.”