In a bizarre series of events, a man named Pritish Kollati, managing director of Hyderabad-based media and event management company Metalloid Productions Private Ltd, has filed an FIR against another man, Deelip Mhaske, among others for cheating and forgery, according to an Indian Express report.
Kollati accused Mhaske of cheating and costing him and his company the production and distribution exclusivity for India that he claims Metalloid had already won from FIFA.
In the FIR, the Metalloid MD alleged that he had submitted a winning bid of $70.57 million (approximately Rs 670 crore) to FIFA in September 2025 for the broadcasting rights of the World Cup in the Indian subcontinent, with the backing of the country’s national broadcaster, IE report stated.
The eventual FIFA World Cup broadcast rights for India went to ZEE, whose deal was never officially disclosed but has been reported in the $30-40 million range, well below the figure Kollati claims Metalloid had locked in.
He explained that once the national broadcaster pulled out, he went looking for an investor and that is when he came into contact with Mhaske.
What happened after Kollati called Mhaske?
Mhaske, who Kollati describes as a well-connected businessman with access to substantial funding, grew close to him during this period. Kollati said this impression was reinforced by photographs Mhaske shared of himself with prominent public figures. According to the IE report, Mhaske allegedly claimed “close associations” with US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
On that strength, Kollati signed a non-circumvention agreement and a term sheet with Mhaske’s firm, Avni LLC, a Washington-based company, for a proposed $50 million investment to acquire the media rights.
Forgery that FIFA found
During FIFA’s due diligence process, the financial documents Mhaske submitted to back his firm’s investment were found to be forged or unusable. That finding cost Metalloid its position as the successful bidder.
“Metalloid suffered financial losses of approximately Rs 2 crore, damage to its reputation, and jeopardised its position as the successful bidder for the FIFA World Cup media rights. If FIFA files a suit against us for the loss of its revenue, my company will face legal consequences,” Kollati said in his FIR.
The Central Crime Station of the Telangana Police has registered the case against Mhaske and others under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering cheating, forgery and use of forged documents.