Police hunt bearded Blues fan after three charged over MCG brawl
Three men have been charged with affray and a fourth is being sought after Saturday's Collingwood-Carlton match at the MCG which saw multiple fights break out.
On Thursday, police said three men had been charged over a fight inside the stadium just before the final siren.
A man from Diggers Rest, 36, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with affray. He has been bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 19.
Two men from Rosebud, aged 41 and 20, were arrested and charged with affray on Thursday morning. They have been bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 16.
Police are still looking for a fourth man, a Blues fan, and have released CCTV images of him in the hopes someone will recognise him.
He is described as medium build, with dark hair and dark facial hair.
The investigation is ongoing.
Victoria Police Commander Tim Hansen said the brawlers could be banned from the MCG if they are found guilty.
"Upon conviction, police will consider making an application for exclusion orders which can see people banned from licenced premises for two years," he said on Thursday.
"There will be a highly visible presence at sporting matches each weekend in public, membership and corporate areas," Commander Hansen said.
Police ramped up their warnings on Thursday, days after witnesses described seeing numerous fights break out in the final moments of the Collingwood-Carlton match.
Blues fan Jack Curnow, 23, said he was in bay M11 with his father and 14-year-old brother when two men, a Collingwood fan and a Carlton fan, began to bait each other after a late-term goal that clinched the win for the Magpies.
"I saw them next to me out of the corner of my eye, then all of a sudden they started going blow for blow," he said.
Mr Curnow described a frenzy within the bay as the men struck each other, spilling into the aisles as bystanders tried to intervene.
"There was women, children – innocent people getting hurt. Families were panicking," he said.
Mr Curnow said his father ran to get authorities to break up the violent scuffle.
"They were verbally arguing for a good few minutes before it came to blows," he said. "Blind Freddy could have seen where that was going to go."
A caller to 3AW, Robin, also recounted witnessing "four full-on punch-on fights", claiming she'd seen people knocked out while sitting in the M12 bay of the Carlton members area.
Later in the evening, another fight broke out several hundred metres down from the MCG, near the Richmond Club Hotel.
One man was arrested over that incident and another was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.