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Picture receiving an invitation to sit beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the Manchester United dugout in the middle of a crucial European match. How would you react?

For 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 extraordinary decision: an ideal yet wet vantage point or a spot in the stands flanked by Ferguson and his right-hand man 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.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

Following a goalless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun describes witnessing rain that severe. Her equipment was drenched, and her cameras were likely to fail of failing.

Noticed 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, 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 sobbing into his shirt. Facing the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect back-page image.

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

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Regardless of her deep family ties to Manchester United—including family members having served as directors—Haroun's path as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was not always easy.

She found it tough to be respected and felt she was often "picked on" by security and police as the "weakest link." This came to a head with an incident at a fiery Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd 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

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

The hazard wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also left her dazed. After one such incident, Bryan Robson allegedly 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 asked iconic striker Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He did find the net, but at first ran the wrong way.

To her relief, Wright remembered, stopped, turned back, and ran towards her with arms outstretched, creating the "perfect picture" she had envisioned.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known cat lover. Her collection of seven cats once grew thanks to an unexpected call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

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

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