🔗 Share this article

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

To photographer Magi Haroun, this became a reality on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the horizontal rain, she was faced with an unlikely choice: a perfect but soggy vantage point or a dry seat flanked by Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

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

'Take a Seat Next to Us'

After a goalless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun describes witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were on the verge 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 spent the remainder 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 seen crying into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential back-page photograph.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be annoyed. True to form, the manager looked 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 family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's path as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was not always easy.

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

"It was me 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 physical risks. Haroun was once "knocked out" by missiles thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

The danger also came from the players themselves. Shots from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times left her dazed. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson allegedly joked, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be helpful. Before an Arsenal match, she asked legend Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He did find the net, but at first ran the wrong way.

To her relief, Wright remembered, halted, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, creating the "perfect picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of seven cats once grew thanks to an surprise call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an stray cat, Haroun was reluctant—she already had 23 at the time. However, a familiar gruff voice took the phone and ordered her: "Magi, take the cat!"

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