Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Cause of Madrid building collapse may have been excess building material

Investigations continue to try to clarify what caused the collapse of a building in central Madrid on Tuesday, an accident which left four people dead under the rubble.

The main hypothesis points to the "accumulation of construction material piled on the top floor" of the building, as stated by Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida.

The victims have been identified as three construction workers from Mali, Ecuador, and Guinea a Spanish surveyor tasked with turning the old building into a hotel.

EU opens case against Spain for fining airlines that charge for hand luggage

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it will open a case against Spain for the €179 million fine the Spanish government imposed almost a year ago on Ryanair, Vueling, EasyJet, Norwegian, and Volotea for charging extra fees for hand luggage or reserving adjacent seats for dependents.

The EC believes the Spanish Air Navigation Law restricts its freedom to set prices and gives the Spanish authorities two months to respond to the irregularities reported by EU services.

In a statement, Brussels noted that European legislation "guarantees the freedom of airlines to set their prices" and, based on a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), hand luggage "must, in principle, be free, provided it meets reasonable requirements regarding weight and dimensions and complies with applicable safety standards."

It continued by saying that "carry-on baggage that exceeds these reasonable requirements is subject to the airlines' pricing freedom."

The EU's decision follows a public confrontation between Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy and Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary, one of the airlines fined. O'Leary has also criticised Spanish airport fees and axed around 2 million seats from Spain's smaller regional airports since early 2025.

Barça match to be first European league match played abroad

Barcelona will face Villarreal in Miami in a La Liga match on December 20th, the Spanish top flight said Wednesday, making it the first European league fixture to be played abroad.

Earlier this week, European football governing body UEFA said they opposed the idea of games being played overseas but would permit it on an exceptional basis, along with a Serie A match in Australia in February between AC Milan and Como.

"With this match we take a historic step that projects La Liga and Spanish football into a new dimension," said La Liga president Javier Tebas in a statement.

"We understand and respect the concerns that this decision may generate, but it is important to put it into context -- it is a single match out of the 380 that make up the season."

BBVA and Sabadell clash heats up ahead of takeover deadline

Tensions mounted ahead of the closing on Friday of Spanish banking giant BBVA's hostile takeover bid for smaller rival Sabadell, whose outcome remains uncertain.

The proposed deal aims to create a European banking powerhouse capable of competing with industry heavyweights such as Santander, BNP Paribas and HSBC.

BBVA, Spain's second-largest bank, with a big footprint in Latin America and Turkey, launched the hostile bid for Sabadell, the country's fourth-largest lender, in September.

Shareholders have until Friday at 23:59 local time (2159 GMT) to accept or reject the offer.

The outcome remains uncertain due to the large number of small Sabadell shareholders.

No investor holds more than seven percent of the bank, which was founded in 1881 near Barcelona.

BBVA chief executive Onur Genc expressed confidence in the bid in an interview published Wednesday in business daily Expansión, saying the bank would "clearly exceed the 50 percent acceptance" threshold needed to gain control of Sabadell.

His optimism is bolstered by support from David Martínez, a Mexican businessman and Sabadell's largest individual shareholder, who has publicly backed the takeover.

However, Sabadell is pushing back. Its chief executive César González-Bueno told the paper it was "impossible" for BBVA to acquire more than 50 percent of the capital.

Barcelona reject Israeli basketball team training facility request

Barcelona rejected a request from an Israeli basketball team to train at their facilities next week, a club source confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

The Catalan club said it was for logistical and public order reasons that they would not allow Hapoel Jerusalem to train on their Palau Blaugrana court before a match against Baxi Manresa on October 15th in the EuroCup competition.

"We don't want to have any problems," explained the club source, after an increase in protests against Israel because of the Gaza war.

The source said on that day preparations would also begin for a Barça handball match in the Champions League, and that Manresa were obliged to allow their opponents use of their court.

Valencia Basket are due to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, another Israeli team, in the EuroLeague competition on the same day.

The pro-Palestinian BDS movement, calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, has called for that match to be cancelled.

Spain's government has labelled Israel's actions a "genocide" and prime minister Pedro Sánchez in September called for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sport.

With additional reporting by AFP.