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Imagine being invited to sit next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. What would you do?

To photographer the lenswoman, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an extraordinary decision: an ideal yet wet vantage point or a spot in the stands between Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain Premier League accreditation, remarkable situations were all in a day's work. She opted for the dugout.

'Take a Seat Next to Us'

Following a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was as unpredictable as the conditions. Haroun recalls witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were on the verge 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, even if she would have preferred behind the goal for better shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United lost 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 potential front-page photograph.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be furious. As expected, the manager looked at her and warned, "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 relatives having served as chairmen—Haroun's journey as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She struggled to be respected and felt she was frequently "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." The discrimination even led to an arrest at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble broke out.

"It was me that got arrested because they saw me as the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Remembering the Wright Way

Being close to the action came with physical risks. Haroun was once "knocked out" by rocks thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

The danger wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times left her dazed. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson allegedly quipped, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be helpful. Before an Arsenal match, she told 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, stopped, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "perfect picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

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

Informed of an abandoned cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. But, a recognisable Scottish voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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