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Picture being invited to take a seat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout during a pivotal European match. How would you react?

For photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: a perfect yet wet vantage point or a spot in the stands between Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain Premier League accreditation, unusual situations were par for the course. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

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

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

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated 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 perfect back-page image.

Preparing her flash, she knew Ferguson would be furious. As expected, 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 connections to Manchester United—including family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and felt she was often "picked on" by stewards and police as the "weakest link." The discrimination even led to 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 stated.

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by rocks thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

The danger wasn't limited to the players themselves. Shots from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also sent her sprawling. After one such incident, Bryan Robson allegedly joked, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be helpful. Prior to an Arsenal match, she told iconic striker 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 ran towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of seven cats on one occasion grew thanks to an surprise call from a long-serving staff member at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Told of an abandoned cat, Haroun was hesitant—she was caring for 23 at the time. However, a familiar Scottish voice took the phone and ordered her: "Magi, take the cat!"

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