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Imagine being invited to take a seat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout during a crucial European match. What would you do?

To photographer the lenswoman, this became a reality on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the sideways rain, she was faced with an unlikely choice: a perfect but soggy shooting position or a spot in the stands flanked by Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain top-division accreditation, remarkable situations were all in a day's work. 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 conditions. Haroun describes never seeing rain that severe. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Noticed by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "You must be a bit wet?" before telling her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She spent the remainder of the match there, though she admitted she'd rather be 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 crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential front-page photograph.

With her flash ready, she knew Ferguson would be annoyed. 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 deep family connections to Manchester United—with family members having served as directors—Haroun's journey as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She struggled to be respected and believed she was frequently "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." This even led to an incident at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble broke out.

"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 physical risks. Haroun was on one occasion "rendered unconscious" by missiles 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 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 accommodating. Prior to an Arsenal match, she told legend Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He did find the net, but initially ran the opposite way.

Fortunately, Wright remembered, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, allowing for the "perfect picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

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

Informed of an abandoned cat, Haroun was reluctant—she was caring for 23 at the time. However, a familiar Scottish voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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