After it had allowed its girls to engage in sports in their private schools, oil-rich nation Saudi Arabia is now divided whether to extend such empowerment privilege to allow its women to watch sports in a stadium due to be completed in 2014.

Ahmed Eid, President of the Saudi Football Federation, had earlier said the stadium will have separate sections for female spectators, journalists as well as families who want or need to soccer and football matches.

In 2014, two stadiums, the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah and the King Abdullah City stadium in the capital are expected to open.

The Gulf's most populous country, Saudi Arabia strictly practises the Sharia Law, which essentially limits women's rights and access to public places. Saudi Arabian females are banned from taking up employment. They are also not allowed to leave the country without permission from a male guardian. Driving is likewise prohibited.

The Islamic sharia law prohibits men and women mixed together in public.

Recent years, however, saw a change to the administration of King Abdullah concerning women's rights.

In 2011, the kingdowm announced its women would now be allowed vote and stand in municipal elections from 2015. To affirm this changing attitude, 30 women were appointed to the country's legislative Shoura Council in January 2013.

"Women would be authorised in the stadiums soon," Eid said, but later on renounced his statement as just his "personal opinion."

But he believed that the decision to allow women in stadiums does not depend on any sporting federations.

"This question is the responsibility of competent authorities," Mr Eid was quoted by the AFP.

"This is a great step, which has been in the making for a long time and will allow a greater number of football fans that had previously been denied access to the matches," Sultan Al Bilawi, a FIFA player's agent, was quoted in insideworldfootball.com.

Talat Abu Shareeh, football secretary at the Ittihad Club in Jeddah, also believed it is high time that women be allowed to attend games.

"They have a right as well. There are many children whose fathers have passed away or who are simply not with their families. They should not be denied the pleasure of watching football matches. With this decision, children can enter the stadiums with their mothers and sisters and share their passion for the game."

Saudi Arabia is facing mounting pressure from various fronts to ease its restrictive rules on women's rights concerning sports.

Under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, the oil-rich nation finally relented last year to send women athletes to the 2012 London Olympics. It was the first time ever for Saudi women to compete in any international sports tournament.

Read more:

Saudi Women Empowerment Expands to Philippine Maids

Raha Moharrak Conquers Everest: Saudi Women Celebrate Empowerment

Signs of Changing Times? Saudi Arabia Publishes 1st Ever Anti-Domestic Violence Advert