🔗 Share this article

Imagine being invited to sit beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout during a crucial European match. What would you do?

For photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: an ideal 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 all in a day's work. She chose 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 recalls never seeing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were on the verge of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he called out, "You must be a bit wet?" before instructing her to "Sit between Kiddo and myself." She spent 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 were defeated on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the final kick, was left sobbing into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential back-page photograph.

With her flash ready, 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!"

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

Regardless of her long-standing family ties to Manchester United—with relatives having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and believed she was frequently "picked on" by security and police as the "weakest link." This 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 very real risks. Haroun was once "rendered unconscious" 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 left her dazed. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson reportedly quipped, "If you're going to kill a photographer, 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 celebrate her if he scored. He scored, but initially ran the opposite way.

Fortunately, Wright realised, halted, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, allowing for the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a dedicated feline enthusiast. Her family of multiple 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. However, a familiar gruff voice came on the line and instructed her: "Magi, take the cat!"

Heeding Sir Alex Ferguson's command, she adopted the cat and named her Carrington.