As Demi belted out The Star-Spangled Banner ahead of the game at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, the superstar couple and their eight-year-old daughter Blue were photographed sitting firmly in their seats, while those around them stood.

While the pair have yet to comment on the move, it appears it could have been a statement echoing the protests of star athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, who famously "took a knee" as means of calling attention to racial injustice in the nation.

However, Beyonce and Jay's decision was also deemed hypocritical by some on social media, after the rapper's Roc Nation company recently teamed up with National Football League (NFL) bosses to oversee social justice programmes and events, such as the Halftime Show.

Whatever their motivation, the video of the pair sitting down during the anthem sparked a furious row among Twitter users, with one tweeting: "Not only should Beyonce and Jay-Z be ashamed for sitting during our National Anthem BUT they should be more ashamed that they have raised their child to also sit and disrespect our nation. We stand for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day for U.S. Disgusting."

"Jay-Z and his wife has reaped the rewards of this country, taken all they can and here they are, sitting during the anthem (sic)," another wrote.

But others argued the pair were entirely within their rights to stay seated if they wanted to, with one hitting back: "Beyonce and Jay-Z aren't the only people sitting down. But since they're African-American, it's a problem..?"

"The same people that are mad that Beyonce was sitting during the National Anthem are the same ones that were sitting down on their couches when the National Anthem was sung like please direct your anger towards something that matters," another argued.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the game.