By Martin Graham
In 1992, during a European tie in Moscow that followed a scoreless match at Old Trafford, torrential weather drenched photographer Magi Haroun. Her equipment was soaked, the rain drove sideways, and she feared her cameras could fail at any moment.
As she coped pitchside, Sir Alex Ferguson noticed her condition and asked, “Magi, are you a bit wet?” before inviting her to sit between him and assistant Brian Kidd. She accepted the offer, though she later admitted she preferred being behind the net to capture better angles.
The game ended 0-0 once more, leading to Torpedo Moscow winning on penalties. Gary Pallister missed the decisive attempt. Facing the technical area, he collapsed emotionally, giving Haroun a potential front-page photo. She prepared her camera, knowing Ferguson might object. True to her expectation, the manager warned, “If you do that, I’ll never speak to you again!”
Breaking through barriers in the Premier League
Haroun grew up surrounded by Manchester United. Her uncle Louis Edwards served as the club’s chairman until 1980, while her cousin Martin Edwards subsequently took the role and played a part in the creation of the Premier League. Her father, Denzil Haroun, was a club director.
Despite this background, she confronted resistance as the first woman to receive Premier League accreditation while working for the Today newspaper. She felt targeted by officials and law enforcement who viewed her as vulnerable. She described feeling dismissed because she was “the weakest link,” facing skepticism in a male-dominated profession.
Even in chaotic scenes, she persisted. At Elland Road during a Leeds versus Manchester United fixture, she was detained amid crowd disturbances despite only worrying about her cameras. She believed the arrest happened because she was a woman, not due to her actions.
The danger zone: hazards on and off the pitch
Being close to the pitch meant regular risks. In Trabzon during a Trabzonspor versus Aston Villa match, she was knocked unconscious by objects thrown from the stands. Training and warm-ups posed problems too. Wayne Rooney accidentally rendered her unconscious during shooting practice, while a powerful strike from Denis Irwin had the same result. Bryan Robson jokingly remarked that if a photographer had to be injured, it should not be the chairman’s relative.
Players sometimes aided her work. Ahead of a European night featuring Arsenal, she asked Ian Wright to celebrate towards her if he scored. Initially sprinting away after scoring, Wright paused, rotated, and returned shouting in celebration with open arms, enabling her to capture an ideal image with a wide-angle lens.
A cat called Carrington
Haroun’s affection for cats became widely known. She already cared for 23 when Kath Phipps, Manchester United’s longtime receptionist, requested she adopt another found at the training base. Hesitant at first, she heard Sir Alex Ferguson insist, “Magi, take the cat!”
She agreed and named the cat Carrington, after the club’s training ground.
