🔗 Share this article

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

To photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the sideways rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: a perfect yet wet vantage point or a spot in the stands between Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain top-division accreditation, remarkable situations were par for the course. She opted for the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

Following a goalless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was just as chaotic as the conditions. Haroun describes witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of failing.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "You must be a bit wet?" before telling her to "Sit between Kiddo and myself." She spent the rest of the match there, even if she would have preferred behind the goal for superior shots.

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

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be annoyed. True to form, the manager looked at her and declared, "Do that, I'll never speak to you again!"

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Despite her long-standing family connections to Manchester United—including family members having served as directors—Haroun's journey as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was not always easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and believed she was often "picked on" by security and police as the "weakest link." The discrimination even led to an incident at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble broke out.

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

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was once "rendered unconscious" by missiles thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The hazard wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also sent her sprawling. After one such incident, Bryan Robson reportedly quipped, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be helpful. Prior to an Arsenal match, she told legend Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He did find the net, but initially ran the wrong way.

Fortunately, Wright remembered, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with arms outstretched, allowing for the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Feline Named Carrington

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

Informed of an stray cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. But, a recognisable Scottish voice came on the line and ordered her: "Magi, take the cat!"

Following Sir Alex Ferguson's command, she adopted the cat and christened her Carrington.