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Picture receiving an invitation 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 torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely decision: a perfect but soggy vantage point or a dry seat between Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain top-division accreditation, unusual situations were all in a day's work. She opted for the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

Following a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun describes witnessing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "Are you a bit wet?" before instructing her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She spent the remainder of the match there, even if she admitted she'd rather be behind the goal for superior shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Defender Gary Pallister, who missed the final kick, was left crying into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential front-page image.

With her flash ready, she knew 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'

Despite her long-standing family connections to Manchester United—with family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's path as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She found it tough to be respected and believed she was often "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." This even led to an arrest at a fiery 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

Proximity to the action came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by rocks thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The danger 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 quipped, "Pick a different target, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be accommodating. Prior to 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, stopped, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, allowing for the "perfect picture" she had hoped for.

A Cat Named Carrington

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

Informed of an abandoned cat, Haroun was reluctant—she already had 23 at the time. However, a familiar gruff voice came on the line and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

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