Nottingham Forest are clear to use the £250,000 won in Sky Bet's Transfer Fund competition in the January market.
Forest supporter Shaun Lander earned his side the prize as Sky Bet's Transfer Fund competition came to an end on Tuesday lunchtime, just over 24 hours after the Football League put Forest, along with Championship rivals Blackburn and Leeds, under an embargo for breaching financial fair play rules.
But Forest can use the windfall towards wages for a free or loan signing.
The Football League's chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "They can use the money in terms of paying loan wages but not transfer fees."