"But, ultimately, the certification ceremony that we all look forward to every four years since I was little, went off without a hitch. Because it’s amazing how smoothly our democracy works when you don’t act like a little b***h when you lose. Not naming names! Just saying," Stewart concluded.

The poisonous substance, which the BBC is not naming, can be bought by anyone over the internet with no restrictions.

One Guangdong-based supplier, which the BBC is not naming, sells similar knives, including one advertised online alongside a sheath marked "Anglo Arms".

Privacy rules regarding the identification of suspects means the BBC is not naming the footballer.

David Ring, who has represented sex crime survivors in some of California’s biggest cases, said that not naming celebrities who may have been involved in wrongdoing gives the victims’ lawyers leverage to negotiate settlements.