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Imagine receiving an invitation to take a seat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout during a pivotal European match. How would you react?

To photographer the lenswoman, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the sideways rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: an ideal yet wet shooting position or a spot in the stands flanked by Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the first female 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 goalless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun recalls never seeing rain that severe. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were on the verge of breaking down.

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

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the decisive kick, was seen sobbing into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect back-page image.

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

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Regardless of her long-standing family connections to Manchester United—including relatives having served as directors—Haroun's journey as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was not always easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and believed she was often "picked on" by stewards and police as the "easiest target." The discrimination came to a head with an arrest at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble broke out.

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

Remembering the Wright Way

Proximity to the action came with physical risks. Haroun was once "rendered unconscious" by missiles thrown by supporters at an English club 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!"

Yet, players could also be accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she told legend Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He scored, but at first ran the wrong way.

To her relief, Wright remembered, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with arms outstretched, allowing for the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a known cat lover. Her family 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 stray cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. However, a familiar Scottish voice came on the line and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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