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.
“You could see him going the other way, then stopping and looking round and then coming back, [shouting] ‘yeah!’ with his arms outstretched, so much so that so I had to have a wide-angle lens on,” she said. “Perfect picture!”
