MOSCOW -- One of the directors of the World Cup opening ceremony in Russia on Friday downplayed an obscene gesture made by Robbie Williams at the event, saying he did not think the middle finger that the singer flipped to the camera was meant to offend Russia. Williams took part in a glitzy 15-minute show at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Thursday before the first match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. World Cup 2018 must-reads - Make your picks with ESPN FC Match Predictor 2018! - Welcome to the Alternative 2018 World Cup Fans' Guide - ESPN FC's experts make their picks - Marvel's amazing World Cup spoilers - Revealed: World Cup 2018 Ultimate XI - Fixtures, results and full coverage - Team-by-team previews of all 32 nations At one point, when the camera zoomed in on him, the 44-year-old Briton raised his middle finger, a gesture regarded as obscene by many in Western culture. "I can't imagine what Robbie Williams meant by that gesture," Ilya Averbukh, the show's co-director, was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency. "As the choreographer, I didn't put it in there." Averbukh said he did not believe Williams' gesture was meant to insult Russians. "I'm sure that this gesture had nothing to do with Russia," he was reported as saying. "Williams did not want to offend our country with this gesture." Robbie Williams performed the opening ceremony. Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images FIFA and the singer's public relations team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. broadcaster FOX Sports issued an apology to viewers for showing the gesture. "The 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony was a newsworthy event produced by a third party and carried live on FOX," FOX Sports said in a statement. "As it was broadcast live, we did not know what would happen during Robbie Williams' performance and we apologize." A long-time Kremlin critic had lambasted Williams for deciding to sing at the ceremony beforehand, while a campaign group had offered to brief him on Russia's human rights record. The singer's PR team declined to comment, but Williams, who has previously sung at private parties organised by wealthy Russians, told Reuters he liked visiting the country and said performing at the opening ceremony was an honour.<doc-sep>"This will upset those who previously wanted him to perform, who brought him to Moscow, or wanted him to perform at their events abroad," said Sergey Knyazev, a member of the National Association of Event Organizers, in an interview with the Pro-Kremlin channel Life News.<doc-sep>Celeb obsessed? Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Robbie Williams may have broken Russian law by opening the 2018 World Cup on Thursday by swearing at camera. The former Take That star caused controversy after casually flipping his middle finger while singing along to his hit Rock DJ. In 2014, the country took a stricter stance toward explicit language in TV broadcasts, theatres and the media by banning the use of swear words. According to the Independent, offenders could face "fines of between $70 and $1,400 depending on whether they’re an individual, an official or an organisation" - though it's unlikely Robbie will ever be fined. (Image: Getty Images Europe) Despite swearing during his performance, Robbie did remain true to his word and left his 2016 song Party Like A Russian, which attracted negative press in the country, off the setlist. Because the song appears to criticise the excesses of Russian oligarchs, the decision to book Robbie to sing at the opening ceremony was met with surprise when it was announced by FIFA on Monday. Meanwhile, the plans for the opening ceremony at the Luzhniki Stadium had been a closely-guarded secret. (Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: REUTERS) Williams - described by FIFA as a 'global music icon' - performed at certain points throughout the scheduled 15-minute pre-tournament build-up. The 44-year-old opened with his 1998 single Let Me Entertain You at the start of proceedings after spending time on stage with former Brazil striker Ronaldo. Russian harpist Alexander Boldachev then took centre-stage, with a large 'fire bird' entering the pitch carrying operatic performer Aida Garifullina. She performed a duet of Williams' smash-hit Angels with the Stoke-born singer, who also brought the ceremony to a close by singing Rock DJ. (Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: REUTERS) Former Spain captain Iker Casillas lifted the World Cup in 2010 and brought the trophy out ahead of the ceremony, with the 32 flags representing the competing nations unfurled during the the performance of Angels. Around 800 people were involved in the on-stage activities, which were held closer to kick-off than in recent finals. Williams said opening the event to 80,000 fans and many millions all over the world was a boyhood dream, and added: "We'd like to invite football and music fans to party with us in Russia, in the stadium, or to tune in their TVs a little earlier for an unforgettable show."<doc-sep>
Robbie Williams will perform at the World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow, two years after his controversial song about Russia sparked anger in the country. The pop star will entertain the crowd before the football tournament's opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on Thursday. It comes after Williams was forced to deny his 2016 song Party Like A Russian included derogatory references to Russian president Vladimir Putin. In the track, Williams sings about a leader who "alleviates the cash from a whole entire nation, takes loose change and builds his own space station," and adds: "Ain't no refutin' or disputin' - I'm a modern Rasputin", while women dressed as ballerinas dance around him in the music video. :: World Cup 2018 contenders: Low-down on the likely winners Image: Williams caused controversy with his song Party Like A Russian in 2016 Sergey Knyazev, a member of the National Association of Event Organisers, reportedly told pro-Kremlin news channel Life News at the time: "This will upset those who previously wanted him to perform, who brought him to Moscow, or wanted him to perform at their events abroad. "None of these people, big corporations or individuals who want him at their event, want to end up as the butt of this joke. It is a joke about 'new Russians'." Following the controversy, Williams told fans on Twitter that the song "is definitely not about Mr Putin". The former Take That star will perform at the opening ceremony at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium along with Russian soprano Aida Garifullina. Former Brazil striker Ronaldo will also feature at the event. Image: Former Brazil striker Ronaldo will also appear at the event Williams said: "I'm so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance. "I've done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream." Organisers FIFA said the opening ceremony will have a "slightly different format" to previous years and focus on musical acts. The ceremony will begin half an hour before the game kicks off at 6pm local time (4pm BST).