I could be mistaken, but striking an opponent by definition includes with the ball. It must be intentional, and it doesn't matter if it's propeled by hand or foot, or in play or out of play, the restart and referee action may change with in and out of play though. For a referee to call that, he must have determined intent. That, however is a lot to expect of a referee, and I don't know that I've ever seen the call, nor the situation to warrant the call.
