Iranian women allowed to attend soccer match

TEHERAN - Thousands of Iranian women fans will be free to attend a soccer game on Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the country over its male-only policy.

Iran has barred female spectators from attending soccer and other stadiums for nearly 40 years, with clerics arguing they must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and the sight of semi-clad men.

World soccer's governing body, FIFA, ordered the Islamic republic last month to allow women access to stadiums without restriction and in numbers determined by demand for tickets.