Sitting with Ferguson and getting ‘knocked out’ – a photographer’s tales

If Sir Alex Ferguson told you to come and sit next to him in the Manchester United dugout in the middle of a European match, what would you say?

On one stormy night in Moscow in 1992, photographer Magi Haroun was “literally dripping” from the downpour and found herself in the unlikely scenario of being asked to do exactly that by the then Manchester United manager.

Haroun faced a choice between a soggy spot for the perfect shot or a dry seat between Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As a female photographer – the first to be given Premier League accreditation, while working for the Today newspaper – unlikely positions were pretty regular occurrences for her at that time and so she chose the dugout.

After a 0-0 draw in the Uefa Cup first round first leg in Manchester, the skies opened during the return fixture in the Russian capital and with that came a game as unpredictable as the weather.

Haroun said she had “never seen rain like it. It was going sideways… it was dreadful”. Her gear was “soaking” and her cameras would stop working “any minute”.

In the second half, the soaked photographer was spotted by Ferguson, who asked her: “Magi, are you a bit wet?” and told her to “come and sit between Kiddo and myself”.

She spent the rest of the match there, although admits said she would “rather be behind the goal” for better photographs.

Following another goalless draw, United were beaten by Torpedo Moscow on penalties, leaving Gary Pallister – who missed the final spot-kick – “sobbing into his shirt”.

Pallister was facing towards the dugout – and Haroun, who saw the opportunity for a snap she knew would become the back page splash the following morning.

Ready to take the shot, she said: “I had my flash and my wide angle. I thought to myself, ‘Alex will be really annoyed at this’.”

Haroun’s family connections meant she had been around Manchester United since she was six years old and knew all the players well.

Her uncle, Louis Edwards, was the chairman of the club from 1965. Her cousin, Martin Edwards, took over when his father died in 1980, and became one of the chairmen who helped form the Premier League.

Magi’s father Denzil Haroun was also a director at Old Trafford.

But her experiences as a female photographer were not always as great as sitting in the dugout next to the manager of the club she has supported all her life.

Haroun said she had a tough time being “taken seriously” in the almost entirely male-dominated industry that was being a photographer in the Premier League.

“According to the stewards and the police, I was always picked on because I was the weakest link,” said Haroun, who graduated from Manchester Art College.

Despite this, she was not going to let other people stop her, even if that meant getting into trouble.

At a fixture between Leeds and Manchester United at Elland Road, with fans “colliding”, Haroun found herself “in the middle of it” and thinking “mind my cameras!”

Being so close to the action also posed other occupational hazards.

“Trabzonspor versus Aston Villa, I was suddenly knocked out because of the supporters throwing rocks,” said Haroun.

Rocks were not the only danger, it was footballing legends taking shots on goal, too.

“Wayne Rooney, [while] practising, knocked me out one day,” she added.

“Denis Irwin, he shot at goal, but he knocked me out and I think it was Bryan Robson who turned round and said: ‘If you’re going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it’s not the chairman’s cousin!’

Sometimes, though, the players were helpful when trying to get the perfect shot.

Before one European match involving Arsenal, Haroun had a word with Gunners legend Ian Wright and told him to celebrate in front of her if he scored.

Wright did score, but started running in the opposite direction.

To Haroun’s relief, the striker realised his mistake.

Haroun is not only known for her football photography, but also a cat lover – she currently has seven.

And that was once the cause of an unexpected phone call.

Because of her personal connection with Manchester United, Haroun formed a close relationship with many of the staff, including Kath Phipps, the receptionist at their Carrington training ground, who worked for the club for more than 50 years, and who died in December 2024.

One day, Phipps rang saying: “Magi, we’ve got this cat. It’s been abandoned, I think it’ll have a good life with you.”

Already owning 23 cats at the time, she was reluctant to say yes, but a familiar Scottish voice on the other end of the phone told her: “Magi, take the cat!”