Fran to haul seven kilo cross eight kilometres to Guadalupe after Real Sociedad’s Copa win | OneFootball

Fran Baños, an Irun-born Real Sociedad fan, will carry a handmade cross weighing seven kilos and 2.5 metres tall for eight kilometres to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe on Jaizkibel on Saturday, fulfilling a promise after the Copa triumph.

According to Diario Vasco, he made the vow as soon as Pablo Marín converted the decisive penalty at La Cartuja in Sevilla on 18 April. A member of supporters’ group San Juan Harri Taldea, he says the cross, built by a carpenter friend and fitted with a wheel, barely helps.

In 2021, during the pandemic, he pledged to climb San Marcial if La Real beat Athletic in the Copa final, then did so with a group of about 15. This time between 30 and 40 are expected to set off from Irun in a footballing via crucis.

They plan to start at 10 am from the Alto Arretxe industrial estate, follow the bidegorri to the Jostaldi fronton in Hondarribia, then tackle the steepest section to the sanctuary.

Because the route uses a provincially managed road, there has been paperwork, from permits with the administration to coordination with the Ertzaintza and local police. The group will walk in single file via the Calvario path to limit disruption.

They aim to arrive around midday for a small reward. He wants to repeat it in future, choosing Jaizkibel now to bond with neighbours in Hondarribia and saving Donostia for if a European title arrives, he jokes, adding he is confident it could come sooner rather than later.

He also hopes the rain stays away, otherwise the via crucis could become a genuine ordeal.

Source: Diario Vasco