 He played in several Algerian clubs as a striker, including USM Alger, before leaving for France to play for FC Mulhouse, AS Cannes and Olympique Lyonnais, with whom he made 65 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring 14 goals.As a manager, Kermali led the Algerian national team to its first continental trophy, winning the 1990 African Cup of Nations hosted in Algeria.He also guided the team to the title of the 1991 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations.