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Picture being invited to sit beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a pivotal European match. What would you do?

To photographer Magi Haroun, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Soaked from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an extraordinary decision: a perfect but soggy shooting position or a dry seat between 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.

'Take a Seat Next to Us'

After a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was as unpredictable as the weather. Haroun describes witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was drenched, 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 "Come between Kiddo and myself." She spent the rest of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for superior shots.

After a second 0-0 draw, United lost on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who missed the final kick, was seen crying into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential front-page photograph.

With her flash ready, she knew 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!"

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

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

She found it tough to be taken seriously and felt she was often "picked on" by stewards and police as the "weakest link." This even led to an incident at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble erupted.

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

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity 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 hazard also came from the players themselves. Strikes from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times sent her sprawling. After one such incident, Bryan Robson allegedly joked, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be helpful. Before an Arsenal match, she asked legend Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He scored, but at first ran the opposite way.

To her relief, Wright remembered, halted, turned back, and charged towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Cat Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of multiple 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 was caring for 23 at the time. But, a recognisable Scottish voice took the phone and ordered her: "You have to take it!"

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