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Imagine being invited to sit next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout during a pivotal European match. What would you do?

To photographer the lenswoman, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was presented with an unlikely choice: a perfect but soggy vantage point or a spot in the stands flanked by Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain Premier League accreditation, unusual situations were par for the course. She chose the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a goalless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was as unpredictable as the conditions. Haroun describes witnessing 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 called out, "Are you a bit wet?" before telling her to "Sit between Kiddo and myself." She spent the remainder of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for better shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United lost on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the final kick, was left crying into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a potential back-page photograph.

With her flash ready, she thought Ferguson would be furious. As expected, 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 deep 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 taken seriously and believed she was often "picked on" by security and police as the "weakest link." This came to a head with an arrest at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where fan trouble broke out.

"It was me that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Try to Run the Wright Way

Being close to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "rendered unconscious" by rocks thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The hazard wasn't limited to the players themselves. Shots from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times left her dazed. After one such incident, Bryan Robson reportedly quipped, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be helpful. Before 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, halted, turned back, and charged towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "ideal picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from 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 abandoned cat, Haroun was hesitant—she was caring for 23 at the time. However, a recognisable Scottish voice took the phone and ordered her: "You have to take it!"

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