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

For photographer Magi Haroun, this became a reality on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the sideways rain, she was faced with an extraordinary 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 all in a day's work. She chose the dugout.

'Take a Seat Next to Us'

Following a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun recalls witnessing rain that severe. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of failing.

Noticed by Ferguson in the second half, he called out, "Are you a bit wet?" before instructing her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She passed the rest of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for superior shots.

After a second 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who missed the decisive kick, was left crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect front-page image.

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

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Despite her long-standing family connections to Manchester United—with relatives having served as directors—Haroun's path as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She struggled to be respected and felt she was frequently "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 erupted.

"It was me that got arrested because they saw me as 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 "rendered unconscious" 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 left her dazed. 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 helpful. Prior to an Arsenal match, she asked legend Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He did find the net, but at first ran the opposite way.

Fortunately, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a dedicated cat lover. Her collection of seven cats once grew thanks to an unexpected call from a long-serving staff member at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Told of an abandoned cat, Haroun was reluctant—she was caring for 23 at the time. But, a recognisable Scottish voice came on the line and ordered her: "You have to take it!"

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