The ex-wife of disgraced footballer Dani Alves deleted her Instagram account just hours after he was released on bail after serving a quarter of his sentence for rape.
Model Joana Sanz revealed last year that she filed for divorce after accusations against the former Barcelona player came to light, but she later showed her support both online and in court.
Alves, 40, was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve 2022 following his three-day trial last month, and is being held at Brians 2 prison in Barcelona since January 2023.
He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, a decision his lawyers are now appealing, and he was told yesterday that he could be released on bail once he paid 1 million euros (850,000 £) costs.
Sanz, born in Tenerife, has since deactivated her Instragram account, which had almost a million followers, and questions are swirling around whether she did so in response to the court ruling.
Joana Sanz (photo) had already posted a selfie on Instagram moments after her husband was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Alves, 40, was convicted of raping a woman at a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve 2022.
Model Joana Sanz revealed last year she filed for divorce after accusations against the former Barcelona player came to light (pictured together in London in 2021)
Throughout the trial, the 30-year-old model experienced an acrimonious breakup with her husband of eight years, confirmed at the end of April 2023.
But the couple are still believed to be married, as she revealed during her court testimony last month that they were not yet legally divorced.
She was seen accompanying him to the courthouse at the start of his three-day rape trial, which began on February 5, and it initially appeared she was attending the trial to support him.
But on the stand at her trial, she told the judge he smelled of alcohol when he returned home the night of the attack.
She caused confusion again when her husband was convicted, posting a provocative selfie on her Instagram moments after he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
It’s unclear why the 30-year-old model’s account, which had a Threads page associated with it, disappeared.
Tenerife-born Sanz regularly shared content showing off her jetset lifestyle and luxury clothing with her 949,000 fans on Instagram.
Joana Sanz, 31, was accused of an extraordinary lack of judgment after saying on social media she would love to have her hair pulled and have sex against a wall.
Tenerife-born Sanz (pictured) sparked controversy with message of support for ex-husband
But she also received backlash for a controversial post about sex, shared just a week after Alves was convicted of rape.
She wrote on Threads, an Instagram app where social media users can view and share public conversations: “Right now I would love to have my hair pulled and fucked against a wall. It would renew my energy.
Spanish media and social media users reacted with disbelief and anger to her comments, calling them “shameful” and saying she “lacked empathy.”
Sanz defended his comments during an Instagram Live, saying: “It seems unbelievable to me that I have to justify everything I say or do.”
“People take everything out of context and then the same people, as always, will repeat it.
“I can’t believe what’s being said.
“The threads I post are spontaneous things that arise from my thoughts.
“Stop linking things to the trial or Dani or anything else. These are things related to my life. I also have a life parallel to all that.
Dani Alves’ ex, Joana Sanz (L), revealed she filed for divorce last year after accusations against Alves came to light.
She added: “Yes, people, let’s not act puritanical now. This fascinates me. I am fascinated by this passion, this passion when they grab your hair, kiss you and eat you whole.
“And that’s good too. I talk about myself personally, about what I like and, well, everyone in their privacy and with mutual respect, let them do what they want.
“And what bothers me the most is that people are taking this out of context and associating it with a legal issue that has nothing to do with this.”
The mother of two also sparked controversy with a recent message of support for her ex-husband.
The Brazilian, who spent eight years at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, winning was removed from their official list of club legends after being convicted of rape.
However, she appeared to celebrate her reinstatement to Barcelona’s list of club legends earlier this month, writing on her Instagram Story “To Caesar what is Caesar’s”.
However, the club turned around a few days later and put him back on their roster in a move that appears to have been celebrated by his ex-wife, Sanz.
She wrote “To Caesar what is Caesar’s” on her Instagram Story alongside a photo of Alves partying in a Barcelona jersey.
Speculation about the couple’s relationship status has been rife since the rape accusation against Alves came to light.
He initially claimed that he had never met the woman he sexually assaulted, but later changed his story, saying that even if he had met her, his encounter with her was entirely consensual and that no aggression had taken place.
It was the first time he admitted to cheating on his wife. He told Spanish media in June 2023: “The only person I have to apologize to is my wife, Joana Sanz. »
June 2023 was the first time Alves publicly apologized for cheating on his wife.
Sanz was seen holding the hand of Alves’ mother, Lucia, on the second day of the Brazilian footballer’s trial.
Joana Sanz, Alves’ wife, entered Barcelona courtroom to testify
“The woman I married eight years ago, to whom I am still married and with whom I hope to continue to live with for the rest of my life.
“I have already apologized to her personally here in prison, but I have to do it publicly, because the story is public, the offense is public and she deserves a public apology.
“These have been, are and will be very difficult days for her. I thank her for everything she does for me. His role is not easy. I love him and during this time in prison I thought a lot about our marriage.
“I am sure that I was not wrong in choosing Joana as my wife. Although she may have made a mistake with me.