Sharing a Dugout with Ferguson and Getting 'Knocked Out' – A Lenswoman's Stories

Imagine receiving an invitation to sit next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a pivotal European match. How would you react?

For photographer the lenswoman, this became a reality on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the sideways rain, she was faced with an extraordinary choice: a perfect but soggy vantage point or a dry seat flanked by Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain top-division accreditation, remarkable situations were par for the course. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a scoreless 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 drenched, and her cameras were likely to fail of failing.

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

After a second 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the final kick, was left sobbing into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential back-page photograph.

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

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Regardless of her deep family ties to Manchester United—with relatives having served as directors—Haroun's path as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She struggled to be respected and felt she was often "picked on" by security and police as the "easiest target." The discrimination came to a head with an arrest at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble broke out.

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

Remembering the Wright Way

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

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

However, players could also be accommodating. Prior to an Arsenal match, she asked legend Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He scored, but initially ran the opposite way.

Fortunately, Wright remembered, stopped, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Cat Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a dedicated cat lover. Her collection of seven cats on one occasion grew thanks to an surprise call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an abandoned cat, Haroun was reluctant—she was caring for 23 at the time. However, a familiar gruff voice came on the line and instructed her: "Magi, take the cat!"

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