FC Steaua București in European football League semi-final against Benfica (1987–88) and one more Champions League final in 1989, which was lost 4–0 in to the Milan side of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. During these last years of the Communist regime in Romania, dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu's son Valentin was involved in the life of the team. Even though a controversial character, Valentin Ceaușescu admitted in a recent interview he had done nothing else than to protect his favourite team from Dinamo București's sphere of influence, ensured by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Though contested by some, their five-year winning streak in the
Vatra Dornei Casino to the statements of Ioan Corneţchi, former mayor of Vatra Dornei between 1986–1989, Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu approved the remake of the Casino in 1987. The work had to be completed within three years, and host the Ceausescu’s 1990 New Year Celebration, which never occurred due to the Romanian Revolution. After the country fell into economic paralysis due to the 1989 Revolution, the interior of the casino was pillaged. According to local records, after the first three months of the fall of communism, all chandeliers were stolen, copper tubs and plumbing was taken, the interior was stripped of metal, the Carrara