Sitting with Ferguson and getting 'knocked out' - a photographer's tales

If Sir Alex Ferguson told you to travel and beryllium adjacent to him successful nan Manchester United dugout successful nan mediate of a European match, what would you say?

On 1 stormy nighttime successful Moscow successful 1992, photographer Magi Haroun was "literally dripping" from nan downpour and recovered herself successful nan improbable script of being asked to do precisely that by nan past Manchester United manager.

Haroun faced a prime betwixt a soggy spot for nan cleanable changeable aliases a barren spot betwixt Ferguson and his adjunct Brian Kidd.

As a female photographer – nan first to beryllium fixed Premier League accreditation, while moving for nan Today newspaper – improbable positions were beautiful regular occurrences for her astatine that clip and truthful she chose nan dugout.

Although she usually lets her photography do nan talking, Haroun opened up connected BBC's Sporting Witness astir her encounters pinch Ferguson arsenic good arsenic her experiences of being arrested and knocked retired while doing her job.

After a 0-0 tie successful nan Uefa Cup first information first limb successful Manchester, nan skies opened during nan return fixture successful nan Russian superior and pinch that came a crippled arsenic unpredictable arsenic nan weather.

Haroun said she had "never seen rainfall for illustration it. It was going sideways... it was dreadful". Her cogwheel was "soaking" and her cameras would extremity moving "any minute".

In nan 2nd half, nan soaked photographer was spotted by Ferguson, who asked her: "Magi, are you a spot wet?" and told her to "come and beryllium betwixt Kiddo and myself".

She spent nan remainder of nan lucifer there, though admits said she would "rather beryllium down nan goal" for amended photographs.

Following different goalless draw, United were beaten by Torpedo Moscow connected penalties, leaving Gary Pallister - who missed nan last spot-kick - "sobbing into his shirt".

Pallister was facing towards nan dugout - and Haroun, who saw nan opportunity for a threat she knew would go nan backmost page scatter nan pursuing morning.

Ready to return nan shot, she said: "I had my flash and my wide angle. I thought to myself, 'Alex will beryllium really irritated astatine this'."

Ferguson looked astatine her and - arsenic Haroun expected - said: "If you do that, I'll ne'er speak to you again!"

Haroun's family connections meant she had been astir Manchester United since she was six years aged and knew each nan players well.

Her uncle, Louis Edwards, was nan president of nan nine from 1965. Her cousin, Martin Edwards, took complete erstwhile his begetter died successful 1980, and became 1 of nan chairmen who helped shape nan Premier League.

Magi's begetter Denzil Haroun was besides a head astatine Old Trafford.

But her experiences arsenic a female photographer were not ever arsenic awesome arsenic sitting successful nan dugout adjacent to nan head of nan nine she has supported each her life.

Haroun said she had a reliable clip being "taken seriously" successful nan almost wholly male-dominated manufacture that was being a photographer successful nan Premier League.

"According to nan stewards and nan police, I was ever picked connected because I was nan weakest link," said Haroun, who graduated from Manchester Art College.

Despite this, she was not going to fto different group extremity her, moreover if that meant getting into trouble.

At a fixture betwixt Leeds and Manchester United astatine Elland Road, pinch fans "colliding", Haroun recovered herself "in nan mediate of it" and reasoning "mind my cameras!"

"It was maine that sewage arrested because I'm nan weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Being truthful adjacent to nan action besides posed different occupational hazards.

"Trabzonspor versus Aston Villa, I was abruptly knocked retired because of nan supporters throwing rocks," said Haroun.

Rocks were not nan only danger, it was footballing legends taking shots connected goal, too.

"Wayne Rooney, [while] practising, knocked maine retired 1 day," she added.

"Denis Irwin, he changeable astatine goal, but he knocked maine retired and I deliberation it was Bryan Robson who turned information and said: 'If you're going to termination a photographer, Denis, make judge it's not nan chairman's cousin!'

Sometimes, though, nan players were adjuvant erstwhile trying to get nan cleanable shot.

Before 1 European lucifer involving Arsenal, Haroun had a connection pinch Gunners fable Ian Wright and told him to observe successful beforehand of her if he scored.

Wright did score, but started moving successful nan other direction.

To Haroun's relief, nan striker realised his mistake.

"You could spot him going nan different way, past stopping and looking information and past coming back, [shouting] 'yeah!' pinch his arms outstretched, truthful overmuch truthful that truthful I had to person a wide-angle lens on," she said. "Perfect picture!"

Haroun is not only known for her shot photography, but besides a feline person - she presently has seven.

And that was erstwhile nan origin of an unexpected telephone call.

Because of her individual relationship pinch Manchester United, Haroun formed a adjacent narration pinch galore of nan staff, including Kath Phipps, nan receptionist astatine their Carrington training ground, who worked for nan nine for much than 50 years, and who died successful December 2024.

One day, Phipps rang saying: "Magi, we've sewage this cat. It's been abandoned, I deliberation it'll person a bully life pinch you."

Already owning 23 cats astatine nan time, she was reluctant to opportunity yes, but a acquainted Scottish sound connected nan different extremity of nan telephone told her: "Magi, return nan cat!"

As instructed by Ferguson, she took it location and past named her Carrington.