FIFA has fined four clubs -- two in Qatar, one in the United Arab Emirates and one in Iran -- and threatened them with points deductions for ignoring orders to pay "overdue" amounts to players.
World football's governing body said Qatar Sports Club and Al-Shamal Sports Club, both in Qatar, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Saba Qom (Iran) had been given deadlines of between 30 and 90 days to pay.
Any club that fails to meet its deadline would be deducted six points in its domestic league and banned from signing players for the next one or two transfer periods, FIFA said.
The four clubs had failed to comply with previous orders, either from FIFA or following appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), FIFA said. The fines ranged from 15,000 (£11,841) to 30,000 (£23,682) Swiss francs.
FIFA said the decisions marked a "new framework" for debtor clubs.
In a separate decision, the organisation fined La Liga side Atletico Madrid €52,000 (£46,580) for a deal with a player which involved "third-party influence."
FIFA said the Spanish club entered into a contract which "enabled a third party to influence the club's independence in employment and transfer-related matters", which breached transfer and players' status rules.
Policy on third-party ownership bans either clubs or players from entering into economic rights agreements with third-party investors.
Frequently, such deals involve outside investors retaining or gaining a share in ownership of a player.