MELBOURNE: Officials will tighten security at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after a “disappointing” breach that allowed two men to bring guns into the stadium at an Australian Rules football match on Thursday.

Police said they had found weapons on a 21-year-old man and a 27-year-old man after the pair refused to leave the MCG over their behaviour while in the crowd of 82,058 for the match between Collingwood and Carlton.

The men were arrested and later charged with firearms possession and other offences.

Officials said the guns had been picked up by screening units when the men entered the stadium but security personnel had failed to do a thorough follow-up search.

“As a result, we will be increasing the extensiveness of the secondary manual security process and patrons may experience slight delays as they attend upcoming events,” MCG CEO Stuart Fox said in a statement.

“We will continue to work closely with Victoria Police, the AFL and our security provider in executing the MCG’s security procedures.”

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon called the incident “extremely disappointing.”

“More than 1.2 million fans have attended the football so far this season and we will work closely with authorities to ensure the matches and venues continue to be a safe and welcoming place for all,” Dillon said in a statement.

Dillon added that the two men would be issued life bans from attending AFL matches.

Both men charged were on bail at the time, police said.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2025