🔗 Share this article

Picture receiving an invitation to take a seat beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. How would you react?

To photographer the lenswoman, this became a reality on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: a perfect yet wet vantage point or a spot in the stands flanked by Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain top-division accreditation, unusual situations were all in a day's work. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a goalless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was as unpredictable as the conditions. Haroun describes witnessing rain that severe. Her equipment was drenched, and her cameras were likely to fail of failing.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he called out, "Are you a bit wet?" before telling her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She passed the remainder of the match there, even if she admitted she'd rather be behind the goal for superior shots.

After a second 0-0 draw, United lost on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who missed the final kick, was left sobbing into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential front-page photograph.

Preparing her flash, she knew Ferguson would be annoyed. As expected, the manager glared at her and warned, "Do that, I'll never speak to you again!"

'I Was Picked On Because I'm a Woman'

Despite her long-standing family ties to Manchester United—with relatives having served as directors—Haroun's path as a woman in a male-dominated field was far from easy.

She found it tough to be respected and felt she was often "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." The discrimination came to a head with an incident at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble erupted.

"I was the one that got arrested because they saw me as the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Remembering the Wright Way

Proximity to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by rocks thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The danger wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also sent her sprawling. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson allegedly joked, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she asked iconic striker Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He scored, but at first ran the opposite way.

To her relief, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, allowing for the "perfect picture" she had envisioned.

A Cat Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a dedicated cat lover. Her family of seven cats on one occasion grew thanks to an surprise call from a long-serving staff member at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an abandoned cat, Haroun was reluctant—she already had 23 at the time. But, a familiar gruff voice came on the line and ordered her: "Magi, take the cat!"

Following Sir Alex Ferguson's directive, she took in the cat and christened her Carrington.