Sitting with Sir Alex and Being 'Knocked Out' – A Photographer's Tales

Imagine being invited to sit beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout during 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 sideways rain, she was presented with an extraordinary choice: an ideal yet wet shooting position or a spot in the stands between Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain top-division accreditation, remarkable 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 recalls never seeing 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 instructing her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She passed the rest of the match there, even if she would have preferred behind the goal for superior shots.

After a second 0-0 draw, United lost 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 front-page image.

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

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

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

She found it tough to be respected and felt she was frequently "picked on" by stewards and police as the "weakest link." The discrimination even led to an arrest at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble erupted.

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

Try to Run the Wright Way

Being close to the action came with physical risks. Haroun was on one occasion "rendered unconscious" by rocks thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

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

However, players could also be accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she told iconic striker Ian Wright to run towards 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 ran towards her with a triumphant yell, creating the "perfect picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of multiple cats once grew thanks to an surprise 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 familiar Scottish voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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