Sharing a Dugout with Sir Alex and Being 'Knocked Out' – The Photographer's Stories

Imagine being invited to take a seat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. How would you react?

To photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was faced with an unlikely choice: a perfect yet wet vantage point or a dry seat flanked by Ferguson and his assistant 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 as unpredictable as the weather. Haroun recalls witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he called out, "You must be a bit wet?" before telling her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She passed 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. Defender 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 image.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be furious. True to form, the manager glared at her and warned, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

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

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

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

"It was me that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she stated.

Remembering the Wright Way

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

The hazard also came from the players themselves. Shots from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times sent her sprawling. On one such occasion, 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 accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she told iconic striker Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He scored, but initially ran the wrong way.

Fortunately, Wright realised, halted, turned back, and ran towards her with a triumphant yell, allowing for the "perfect picture" she had hoped for.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from 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 already had 23 at the time. But, a recognisable gruff voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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